


Wires and Beating Hearts

by Zenphilvian



Category: Portal (Video Game), Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Angst, Crossover, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Separations, Suspense, immature insults, implied/referenced deaths
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-02
Updated: 2017-09-20
Packaged: 2018-10-26 23:25:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 34,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10796952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zenphilvian/pseuds/Zenphilvian
Summary: Portal x Yuri On Ice crossover based on http://nanabbi.tumblr.com/ ' s drawings and headcanons and http://justatadmystic.tumblr.com/'s headcanons. Along with my own headcanons.





	1. Hollow

**Author's Note:**

> So, I fell in love with this AU, and I wanted to jump the gun and get in on the action! This is a bit of a one-shot, Victor POV, pre-both games. (Going with the spellings Victor and Yuuri)

If you ask any normal person about Aperture, they would say, “Oh, I’ve heard of them. Something about shower curtains? And potatoes?”

  
If you ask an Aperture tech employee about Aperture, they would say, “It’s a bit weird, but if you build it they way they want, it’s good pay.”

  
An Aperture scientist would say, “As long as it’s ‘science’ anything goes, and it’s great.”

  
The Aperture test subjects don’t say anything.

  
Not anymore.

  
Though everyone working there would swear up and down that there is no exact moment when everything started going downhill, the breaking point was quite obvious. Still, the mood remained cheerful for the most part, everyone working hard in the name of science.

  
Then the CEO started dying. That’s when the company jumped off that hill and started cliff diving, hurtling towards the ground at reckless speeds. He pushed the AI initiative and robotics. No one ever said it, but everyone knew his goal.

  
Thus began project GLaDOS. When it first started, most employees scoffed at the idea, thinking it would end up like the gels, completely abandoning their original purposes. But no, this idea ended up working perfectly, due to some major breakthroughs.

  
Two months too late. The CEO was in no fit state for any sort of digital transfer. He wasn’t dead yet, so he was able to tell everyone exactly what he wanted them to do instead. “Keep in the family.”

  
And so they did. Project GLaDOS was complete, the CEO was dead. Aperture was hanging on by a thread. There was only one thing keeping Aperture together. One common goal.

  
Testing.

  
GLaDOS was designed to create and execute tests. If GLaDOS couldn’t test, the results were… unpleasant. But Aperture was losing volunteers quickly. They had already resorted to picking bums off the street, offering a mere $60 for endangering their lives.

So Aperture resorted to testing its employees. Break rooms that used to filled with laughter and the smell of bad coffee were tense with nobody daring to make eye contact. If a scientist gave you ‘the Look’, it was a calling card to your potential doom

After being given the Look, some people came back. Some didn’t.

Then, the unthinkable happened. One of the scientists, was given the Look. And he never came back.

After the first one left, the Aperture population quickly dwindled. When the work day was over, half of the people dashed out the doors, breathing fresh air and relieved to be able to go home. The other half stayed and worked overtime, trying to prove themselves useful and too valuable to get rid of. Either strategy was completely valid.

But they were all just delaying the inevitable.

* * *

 

Victor thanked his lucky stars every moment he possibly could. Not only did he have a wonderful, smart, kind, caring, and incredibly hot (this was fact, and Victor could prove it with science) boyfriend, they shared an adorable poodle together, they lived together in a darling little apartment near their work, and most importantly: they were both alive.

When their relationship first started, the last fact was something Victor took for granted. He was just head over heels for Dr. Yuuri Katsuki, which his friend Chris had teased him about to no end.

Now though, Victor was incredibly stressed, Yuuri even more so. They coped in very different ways to the hostile work environment. Yuuri pulled late nighters and barely left his office during work hours, while Victor just couldn’t keep still. He had to constantly be moving, working, doing something.

Recently, Victor was paranoid about one thing besides him or Yuuri being taken away for testing. And that was Yuuri finding the small box in the back of their closet. It had been on a whim, shopping during the weekend when he saw it. Victor thought it was absolutely perfect and bought them without a second thought. Who knew what the future held, after all?

Victor was just waiting for the perfect moment. In the meantime, he wanted to surprise Yuuri. He’d been looking down lately, more than usual. So Victor concocted a simple plan. He would leave work early, go grocery shopping, and when Yuuri came home, serve up some freshly made katsudon.

When Victor came home, he dropped off his bags at the kitchen and went to their bedroom and opened up the closet. The first thing he saw was the Tie. Victor had lost track of how many times he tried to get rid of that tie. If Victor didn’t know any better, he would’ve sworn that the Tie was the physical manifestation of bad fashion, thus it could never go away, no matter how many perfectly good ties Victor bought.

Hiding the Tie on the top shelf, so it would be harder for Yuuri to find, Victor found the box. Small, black, and holding all of Victor’s hopes and dreams. Inside contained two simple gold rings. But they meant so much more than that. They were a promise, the silent promise that Victor and Yuuri shared, to stand by each other always.

Victor hastily closed the box and put it back in its hiding spot, not knowing when Yuuri would get home. He started to make the katsudon, phone blaring music, Victor singing along loudly.

Yuuri still wasn’t home yet. Victor hoped that Yuuri wasn’t pulling another all-nighter. It wrecked Yuuri’s sleep schedule and made him snippy and tense. It didn’t help that Victor was a morning person, cheerful and perky every morning at the ‘butt-crack of dawn’ as Yuuri so eloquently put it one morning.  

Twenty minutes had passed since Victor finished the katsudon, and Yuuri still wasn’t home. Victor ate alone, keeping Yuuri’s portion in the fridge, so they could heat it up later, when he came back.

Three hours since Victor’s lonely meal, and Yuuri wasn’t back. Victor knew he shouldn’t be that put out, but it bothered him. He’d felt like they’d been drifting apart, which Victor fully blamed Aperture for.

Their bed felt cold and way too large, with only one person lying in it in silence. Victor finally managed to get to sleep after what felt like an eternity, his mind occupied with far-fetched schemes and romantic notions.

When Victor woke up the next morning, Yuuri still wasn’t home. He must have pulled an all-nighter, Victor concluded. On the way to work, Victor grabbed two coffees, knowing that Yuuri could appreciate the caffeine. Poor thing was probably still asleep in his office. Victor pictured the sight, glasses half on his face, hair ruffled in every possible direction, and his lab coat half-falling off.

Without talking to anyone else, avoiding eye contact, as was habit for everyone at Aperture, Victor headed towards Yuuri’s office. With a jolt of surprise, Victor realized the door was locked. Yuuri never locked the door, despite all his threats to so Victor wouldn’t ‘barge in and distract’ him.

Victor tried everything he could think of to open the door, but to no avail. He hated to do this, but he had to ask someone. Luckily, he quickly found someone in a white lab coat just around the corner.

“Have you seen Dr. Katsuki?” Victor asked. Everyone knew about their relationship, but for some reason, a level of professionalism was still maintained. It definitely wasn’t due to any effort on Victor’s part.

“He’s not here,” Was the reply Victor received.

“Then where is he?” Victor pressed on.

“Not here. Are we done here? I’m busy.”

Victor was fuming. That conversation was completely unhelpful. He stormed off, determined to find Yuuri.

He was unsuccessful, and anyone he asked didn’t have any answers more insightful than, “He’s not here.” Eventually, Victor had to actually work, but he was distracted, wondering where Yuuri was.

Yuuri wasn’t home that night.

Or at work the next morning.

At that point, Victor knew for certain that something was wrong. It was like Yuuri had just dropped of the face of the earth. Which couldn’t be true. He had to be somewhere. Victor just didn’t know where.

Well, he had an idea where. Yuuri had still been here when they went to work together that morning. Something had to have happened at Aperture that day. But Victor didn’t have any clue what that would have been.

There were whispers, of course, but nothing substantial. The scientists seemed to be more excited lately, like they had some new semblance of hope. Something about ‘cores’. Victor found that he couldn’t care.

He just felt numb. It had been a week since Yuuri disappeared, and Victor threw himself into his work. With something in his hands, and numbers in his head, Victor could stop worrying, stop thinking, just for a little while.

But coming home, Victor couldn’t escape the emptiness of the apartment. Victor couldn’t bear to get rid of anything. He’d become a wreck. Victor still maintained himself, staying presentable, the apartment meticulously clean, just in case, but he felt hollow inside.

Over a month later, Victor took the box out of the closet, opening it up and staring at the contents for the first time in a long while. The tears started falling from his eyes, hands shaking. Victor sank to the floor, back to the wall, curled up in a ball, holding the rings tightly to his chest. He sobbed, shaking, hands clenched tight, feeling completely and utterly alone. He cried until he couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore and ended up falling asleep on the floor.  

The next day, Victor bought himself a chain. Pulling the rings through it, he clasped the chain and slipped the makeshift necklace under his shirt. Work felt more tolerable that day, Victor found. When he walked, the rings thumped against his chest, like a second heartbeat. It felt like Yuuri was with him, in a strange way. Victor knew he was probably losing it at this point, but he just couldn’t bring himself to care.

He never stopped looking for Yuuri. But he did find himself resigned to this reality, of Yuuri being gone. He was somewhere, of course, but nowhere Victor could reach.


	2. Apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the positive feedback! I knew I had to write more right away! So, more angst for everyone!

Yuuri screamed. He screamed until he ran out of breath, and screamed again. He struggled and trashed and kicked, anything to break free from the iron tight grip of his coworkers. His energy was utterly gone, but still he kept trying. He had to get away, he had to try. He had to- he must - he needed- he needed to see Victor.

He had to see him - had to tell him- something, anything, everything. Please, it can’t be over yet- he wanted to believe it was going to be all right - eventually - No, nobody comes back from this - but he had to come back - he had to see Victor - hold him - hold on tight and never let him go - Yuuri felt raw.

Completely raw. Dry parched throat, hot sticky tears falling, drying on his face, he felt sore everywhere, everywhere hurt - his arms, his legs, his heart, knowing he was about to break Victor’s. Yuuri was here, alive. Alive with a passion and fire that was utterly raw- and human. He wanted- he needed to stay that way. Not only for his own sake, but for the both of them.

Helpless. He felt helpless, there was nothing he could do. Worthless, he thought that he was helping, being useful, there was no reason to do this. None. Please. There has to be some sort of mistake. He can’t- he wouldn’t be of any use this way- please, just please. There has to be something he can do - anything - he’ll do anything - just please-

Suddenly, Yuuri stopped. He’d just caught of glimpse of his captor’s expression. He knew that expression. It was like looking into a mirror. He’d worn that expression, ignoring other’s screams, pretending that everything was okay.

The wave of guilt and hypocrisy sent Yuuri back into hysterics. No - no, he wasn’t like that - it was just how he coped- he wasn’t a monster - it was for a good reason - of course  - but for the life of him, in his panic, Yuuri couldn’t remember what it was.

His thoughts broke into splintering bursts of emotions, and occasionally the words that went with them.

Raw. Vulnerable. Please, no. Helpless. Weak. Terrified. Help, someone. Alone. Lost. Afraid. Victor, please. Someone please - I can’t - I need to - Please -

Soon, far too soon, they reached their destination. Yuuri was still screaming, struggling, but detached from it all, as if his body was on autopilot.

Then the procedure began.

* * *

 

Walking home, all Victor could do was remember. It seemed like it was the only thing he could do lately.

He remembered Yuuri. That shy smile of his, the way his eyes lit up when an experiment worked. How adorable he looked when he slept, his face completely calm no matter what odd positions his limbs were arranged in.

He remembered one time when Yuuri pulled an all-nighter and Victor found him the next morning, asleep in a portal. His legs were on one side of his office, while his torso was in the other. Yuuri had been so excited that they had been working, finally.

Victor found himself smiling despite himself. Yuuri had worked on so many projects with Aperture, but the portal gun was his pride and joy. He’d brush off the praise, but Victor knew better. He knew how much it meant to Yuuri. He also knew how much Yuuri meant to him.

The brief moment of joy flickered out, swallowed by the all-consuming knowledge that Yuuri was gone. Victor kept walking, feeling the _thump thump_ of the rings against his chest.

_Thump. Thump Thu- thud._

The rhythm Victor had been walking to had stopped suddenly. It took Victor too long to realize what had happened.   

Someone had grabbed his sleeve, stopping Victor right in his tracks.

“Victor.” He turned at the voice. It was Phichit.

“Hey there, Phichit.” Victor offered weakly.

“Don’t give me that.” Phichit said sharply. His face was stern, a complete change from his normal cheerful demeanor. “What’s going on? And where’s Yuuri?”

“He’s not here.” Victor answered, giving the same answer he’s received over the past month or so. He isn’t quite sure, time toiled on monotonously with very little difference between the days.  

“It’s been almost two months, Nikiforov. Where is my best friend?” Phichit asked, his grip tightening on Victor’s sleeve. He wasn’t going to leave without any answers.

“I’ve told you. I don’t know. I’m sorry.” Victor spat out. He’d didn’t mean to sound so tired, so bitter, but there it was, out in open.

“What is wrong with you? Have you just given up?” Phichit was shouting now, losing restraint. “What’s going on at Aperture? Tell me what’s happening!”

“I’m fine.” Victor snapped back, “I haven’t given up on Yuuri, don’t you dare say that!”

“Victor! What’s happening at Aperture? Yuuri used to love it there, and then all of sudden he started pulling longer hours and got jittery whenever someone mentioned the place. Please, just tell me.”

“Nothing you need to worry about.” Victor retorted, an icy tone in his words, “Aperture is-” -fine, is what Victor mean to say, but that wasn’t remotely true at all. “-functional. Things will sort itself out. It will be fine.” At this point, he wasn’t trying to convince Phichit, but himself, and failing miserably.

“Fine. I guess I’ll look for the answers myself.” Phichit finally let go of Victor, looking at him with solemn determination. “Don’t worry, I’ll bring back plenty of proof.” He patted his pocket knowingly.

For some reason, this is what pushed Victor over the edge. “Don’t you dare! You don’t understand what’s going at all, don’t get yourself involved. Stay away from Aperture. We- I - don’t want to lose more people to that place!”

“Then why are you still going there?” Phichit asked, striking Victor silent temporarily.

“B-because - I -” Victor stammered, caught off-guard by the question. Why was he still going to Aperture? “I - I still have hope.” He admitted.

“I haven’t given up either.” Phichit replied, “I’m going to do what I can, and you can’t change my mind.”

Victor tried to protest, but Phichit was already walking away. Leaving Victor alone once again.

* * *

 

Yuuri screamed, but he had no idea if the sound ever left his mouth. He wasn’t sure of anything really.

Everything was in pain, burning, tearing, raw, wrong. Wrong. This was wrong - it felt so wrong -

He was completely disoriented, limbs and organs spread out everywhere, connected somehow, sensations filling his mind with no recognition of where they were coming from and why. He couldn’t see, but he didn’t know if he just lost his glasses somewhere along the way, or if he had been blindfolded, or if he was screwing his eyes shut on reflex.

Nothing made sense.

All he could hear was red.

It was so loud, it was deafening, drowning him.

Yuuri cried out, clawing his way up. He had to get up- He had to-

He wanted this to stop. He didn’t care how- he’d do anything just please - he’s begging you -

Why? Please - make it stop - is anyone there?

Please, someone, anyone, make it stop.

He had to get back - he had to-

And then something _tore._

It ripped itself away from Yuuri, leaving an angry raw rip in its place. The red got louder, along with a new sensation, the taste of clean, like someone was trying to purge Yuuri of filth.

That was it. It was scrubbing against his mind, tearing, ripping off pieces, leaving tattered broken remains behind. He tried to keep the pieces together, but they got torn away too.

He had to hold on - he had to - please - you need to stop -

Stop you - you don’t know what you’re doing - it hurts - i - please - stop - you monster - i need that - please - no - please - i can’t - i - can’t -

Then Yuuri was torn away from himself, all sensation suddenly ceasing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter probably won't be out for a while, I'm still a little uncertain about some of the details of where this is going, but it'll be a fun ride, I'm sure!


	3. Keep an Eye Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for the positive feedback! I originally planned to have more than one POV... but this section got a little out of hand, I'm happy to say! Too bad I have to ruin the accidental perfect word count!

Phichit thought he was prepared. He had his favorite camera in his hand, three more in his knapsack, along with an extra pair of shoes and other various items he thought would be useful. If he learned anything about Aperture from Yuuri, it was that anything could happen.

It was a small challenge to slip inside the entrance, but a lot easier than Phichit expected. He walked carefully, keeping his footsteps soft. Since he was trying to be sneaky, every single little noise was insanely loud to Phichit. The ruffling of his clothes, every nervous breath, and had his hands ever shook this much?  

However, there were several things in his favor. The place felt abandoned, certain areas completely ignored and covered with dust, but other areas were kept pristine, attempting to be perfect. The Aperture population was insanely small, leaving Phichit wondering how on earth the enormous facilities were still functioning. Another key thing was that the small population were completely focused on their work, actively ignoring their surroundings and the others around them.

Thanks to a handy map by the entrance, Phichit found the hallway where he was pretty sure was were Yuuri’s office would be. And there it was, towards the end of the hall. It was completely locked, and a minute with a hairpin didn’t seem to help at all. Heart pounding, Phichit gave up. He was being too loud, and he could come back and try again later.

Wandering silently, he wondered exactly what he was looking for. Phichit took pictures of everything of course, you never know what would be useful, right? Peeking around a corner, Phichit found something that truly caught his attention.

Inside the break room was a billboard, completely covered in photographs, all lined up in neat rows. Phichit slipped inside, to get a closer look. Rows of individual photos, underneath each of them was a name and a date. The handwriting was neat and precise until just about halfway through.

The first photo after the switch was of a serious-looking man with thick eyebrows. ‘Seung-Gil Lee. May 9th.’ If Phichit had to guess, this Seung-Gil guy was the one who originally did all the photos. That did nothing to debunk the theory that Phichit was starting to feel was far too close to the truth.

People were disappearing at Aperture, never to be seen again. They all knew it. _Victor_ knew it, Phichit thought with disgust. Scanning the photos, he found the one he had hoped wouldn’t be there.

‘Yuuri Katsuki. April 12th.’

Phichit’s heart sank. He didn’t know why, since he already knew Yuuri was missing. He supposed it felt more real this way. Photos didn’t lie. They captured what they saw in perfect detail. Moments frozen in time.

He took several photos of the billboard instinctively, trying to keep his hands steady. The sheer number of photos was shocking. And as far Phichit could tell, the photos were just of Aperture employees, judging by the logo on all of their clothing in the pictures. Who knew how many other people were lost to this place? Phichit had to be careful, he knew that.

Upon the sound of footsteps, Phichit scrambled to the corner of the room that couldn’t be seen from the doorway. He tried to calm down his breathing, since it was far too loud, focusing on the other things in the break room. Like the small pile of sticky notes next to him, underneath the fridge, having fallen off due to losing their stickiness over time.

Phichit picked one up, but the text was unreadable, the crinkly paper falling apart in his hands. The footsteps were closer now, and Phichit could barely see was walking by. A glimpse was all he needed though. He could recognize that hair anywhere.

Victor was deliberately looking away from the break room, determinately walked towards his destination. Once Phichit was sure the coast was clear, he looked back to the sticky notes sifting through them, trying to find a readable one.

Most of them were along of the lines of: ‘don’t anyone dare touch my food’, along with some stranger ones.

‘Melting point : __i_ /π _ Celsius’

‘J.J. is occupying 2.54% more of the fridge than he should’

‘Acid spill - stay away from left side of building’

‘Mantis men on floor B3’

Phichit picked up another note, and he knew the handwriting. It was definitely Yuuri’s.

‘Vitya, going to be home late tonight. Love you~’

He had to cover his mouth, so his gasp wouldn’t be heard. This wasn’t fair. The only thing that stopped him from being too saddened was the scrawl at the bottom of the note,

‘Ugh, gross’

Phichit stifled any potential giggles. He shouldn’t be staying in one place for too long. Checking the corners, Phichit slipped out of the break room, and headed in the opposite direction of Victor.

He knew that if he was going to find anything significant, he would have to follow someone. Preferably someone who had access to the higher tier information. Victor was definitely not that person.

Unless he was lying to Phichit, which seemed extremely unlikely. Victor had been devastated when Yuuri disappeared. He would do anything to get him back, if he knew there was a chance.

After a period of time that Phichit deemed way too long, he finally found someone to follow. Never losing sight of that white lab coat, Phichit stayed a good distance behind, but still managing to slip through doorways, keeping the noise down as much as he could.

It seemed Phichit’s instincts were right when the scientist he had been following reached a locked door requiring several scans, and a keypad code. He took a deep breath. He needed to be quick, but still not get caught.

When the moment came, Phichit dashed, barely making in before the door closed. However, he wasn’t as silent as he needed to be.

His footsteps echoed through the wide, empty space, and his momentum got out of control. Before he could stop himself, Phichit slammed into the man he’d been tailing, knocking them both to the ground.

Without thinking, Phichit scrambled to his feet and ran as fast as he could. He ran, turning corners at reckless speeds, not bothering to check behind him. Phichit knew he should, but that’s how people always die in horror movies. They trip on something and apparently don’t know how to crawl or get back on their feet.

Then Phichit realized, he already broke the number one rule of horror movies.

Never go alone.

He felt a chill go down his spine at that thought, but brushed it off, focusing instead on his current location.

For the moment, he seemed to have lost the man, but no guarantees. Phichit stopped to catch his breath, getting a proper look at his surroundings.

It was very white. Phichit knew that it was a science thing, to look clean and professional, but the oppressive atmosphere gave a different impression. The lack of color made it impossible to tear his eyes away from the only other thing in the room.

Stacks of boxes. Large boxes, Phichit bet that he could probably fit into one of them. Without thinking, he pulled out his camera, and took a few pictures of the boxes. Something seemed… off about them.

How come they were the only things in this room? What even was this room? Storage? It seemed too clean and well-maintained for that. And why did they have a little pink heart on the side?

Phichit picked one up. It seemed have the same length on all its sides, making it a cube. The cube was quite heavy, and was a bit tricky to get a good grip on. Phichit lifted it as high as he could, trying to get a look at the bottom, seeing if had any labels or something of the like. His heart sank when he saw the same heart, identical to the other sides.

Before Phichit could contemplate the cube, any further, a loud slamming sound could be heard from the other side of the room.

Whipping his head around to see the what made that noise, Phichit nearly dropped the cube in surprise. The man he had been following stood in the doorway, red faced, and he wasn’t alone.

He’d been caught.

In a flash of inspiration, Phichit threw the cube he’d been holding at the Aperture employees.

Phichit dashed towards what looked like an exit, hearing the satisfying crash behind him.

However, the door was locked. The door was locked and the only other exit was blocked. Phichit turned around and looked for any other escape.

There was nothing that he could see, nothing but the large pile of heart-stamped cubes. He was already tired from the mad dash earlier.

Phichit wasn’t ready to admit defeat yet. Not by a long shot. He reached into his knapsack and pulled out a canister of pepper spray. Closing his eyes tightly, Phichit ran towards the Aperture men, spraying everywhere in front of him. It was a bit of a short sighted plan, but he wasn’t thinking about that at the moment.

It seemed to have worked, if the pained screams and lack of anyone apprehending him was any indication. Carefully, Phichit opened his eyes slightly, and dashed off again towards the way he entered.

Retracing his steps was almost going to be impossible at this point. However, Phichit couldn’t find it in himself to worry. He had the photos, he had the proof that something shady was going on here. Yeah, he might go to prison for a few months for breaking and entering, but Phichit was pretty sure that was nothing compared to the crimes committed here at Aperture.

If they could just get Yuuri back… not just Yuuri. All those photos in the breakroom, they all had friends, families, and still nothing was being done. It was heartbreaking.

Phichit was running across a metal walkway, footsteps clanging and echoing, but that was the only sound. At least, it had been the only sound.

The machines on either side of Phichit suddenly sprang to life, whirring and click-clacking and other mechanical noises. He ran faster, not knowing what it meant, but having an extremely bad feeling about it.

Phichit ran, and ran, and ran but his feet were no longer on the ground. It took him a second to understand what had happened. He was being held aloft by what seemed to be a metal claw, like the ones in arcade machines. Except this one actually worked and could hold on to an object for more than five seconds.

He struggled to break free, from its grip, to no avail. Though looking down, Phichit reconsidered it. The fall would at least break a few bones, and there was no way he would be able to escape from here with broken bones.

Then, _it_ spoke.

“This place is infested with vermin. Look, I just caught a shutterbug.” Phichit couldn’t tell where the voice was coming from, it sounded like it was coming from everywhere, as if the building itself had a voice. The voice sounded male, but was distorted and annunciated strangely, emphasis on the wrong syllables, almost like it was computer generated, but the voice was smoother than that.

Then Phichit realized that the ‘shutterbug’ the voice mentioned was referring to him. “Hey!” Phichit shouted, trying to hide his panic. “Can you put me down? Please?”

“How did something like you manage to crawl your way in here?” The voice asked, “Not that it matters. You’re not crawling your way out. We have a lot of testing to do first,” It continued on, cutting off and ignoring Phichit’s shouts of protest, “Let’s see how long you last. Even if it doesn’t work out, I’m sure _they_ will find a use for you. Science is all about efficiency, after all.”

The claw began to move, moving upwards and leftwards, taking Phichit further away from any possible exit or escape. “Stop!” He yelled, “Please! Let me go! I don’t know anything about Aperture, or these tests! Is that what happened to everyone else? What is going on here?” Phichit struggled, knowing it was fruitless and that falling now would probably kill him. “What happened to Yuuri?”

For a moment, the claw faltered, grinding to a halt, but as soon as it stopped, it started back up again, taking Phichit away.

With a shiver of horror, Phichit felt his knapsack start to slip off from all his struggling. He could barely move, so his efforts to wriggle the bag back just made it worse. The bag fell to the ground at an alarming speed, and hit the ground with the distinct sound of breaking glass.

Phichit gripped the camera he had in his hand tighter. He couldn’t lose it, and the proof it held now. He just had to hold on. He was still alive, after all. He could still look for Yuuri, find a way to save him, find a way for both of them to escape.

It wasn’t over yet. Not by a long shot.


	4. Noise

“Would you get on with it already?” The voice asked, sounding bored.

“No way!” Phichit protested. The reason for this was two-fold. He was trying to buy time, analysing his surroundings, looking for any possible escapes or anything vaguely helpful.

Also, he was having way too much fun playing with the portal gun.

This was so cool! Phichit was still scared out of his mind, and pissed that his camera was taken away from him, but… come on! He could be in two places at once! He could see himself without the filter of a camera or a mirror, by making the laws of physics bend to its knees.

Phichit knew there had to be a scientific explanation for how this was totally possible and totally safe for the most part, but he had no clue. He made the mistake of asking Yuuri about it one time, and that one-sided conversation lasted at least three hours. It would have gone on longer, but that was because the bar had closed and kicked everyone out.

Yuuri’s eyes lit up whenever he talked about his work, going on and on with unbridled passion. The portal gun had taken him years to perfect, Yuuri never giving up on it. He was stubborn like that, Phichit mused. He shook his head. No, not was. Is. Yuuri is stubborn like that.

Well, Phichit was going to have to be stubborn too. He focused again on the task at hand. Let’s see… portal here, portal there, grab the cube… and there we go!

“Took you long enough.” The voice said. “I suppose I shouldn’t expect much from a - Oh would you SHUT UP already!” It suddenly shouted, interrupting itself.

“I didn’t say anything!” Phichit protested.

“No, not you.” The voice hastily corrected. “ _Them._ Those morons never shut up, trying to distract me. I can hush them up for a bit, and then they babble on anyway. But I think I can fix that. Even _him._ I just have to make this test _perfect._ ”

That sounded extremely foreboding and Phichit didn’t think it was a good idea to ask the voice any more questions. Even though he really wanted to know the voice’s name, since it’s awkward to think of it just as ‘the voice’.

“For this test, you will not be equipped with Aperture Science Long Fall Boots, so as to test if this test can be completed without them. Understand? Move along then.” The voice sounded so bored, so apathetic, Phichit wondered why they were doing this, if they didn’t want to. Then again, everyone in this facility was doing things they didn’t want to. Phichit included.  

Phichit entered the next test chamber and was caught off-guard by its sheer size. Of course, the minimalist set-up probably contributed to that. Not to mention the fact that the room contained a deep pit that Phichit couldn’t see that bottom of. He was going to have to be very, very careful how he went about this.

* * *

 

_Space. Space. I wanna go to space. Got to go to space. Space. So much space, gotta see it all-_

_What if the test subject actually finishes the test? You don’t have another chamber ready, and what if-_

 

There was just so much noise. So much to think about, so much to do and if that wasn’t bad enough-

 

_Two cups of all purpose flour, one and two third cups of granulated sugar, four large eggs -_

 

The nuclear core was acting up again, had to go stabilize that and- 

 

_SSSSSSSSSSSSSPPPPPPPPPPPPAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!_

 

Goddammit! The facility was falling apart, there was testing to be done and it seemed like everyone in this place seemed hell bent on stopping -

 

_What if your calculations are wrong? Are you sure about this? What if the core explodes? Something could go wrong -_

_Three quarters cup of vegetable oil, one cup lemon juice, pre-packaged chocolate cake mix -_

 

If everyone could just drop down dead, that would be just wonderful right now. Just silence every voice here, leaving nothing behind but-

 

_Space. Going to space. Can’t wait. Yeah yeah yeah okay. Space. Space. I love space -_

_You should double-check the probabilities. Better safe than sorry, I suppose. What if-_

 

Like that would ever happen. Even bare minimum maintenance and testing was a trial with all these distractions. Anything more elaborate was a bit out of reach at the moment.

 

_Fish shaped crackers, one cup of brown sugar, thirteen and a half cups of flour, a deep fried-_

 

“Oi!”

And now the test subject was getting chatty-

“Who are you anyway? What’s with all the tests?”

What an idiot. What kind of moron just waltzes in here sneaking around in a place like this? Fine, might as well answer -

 

_What are you doing? What if you say something that’ll make him -_

_SPACE! Sun’s in space -_

 

“I’m in charge of this facility. And I believe your priority should be in completing the test. Obviously that’s your own choice, but there is a strong correlation between test success rate and the survival rate of test subjects.”

That seemed to satisfy him. He was about halfway done, but the pace was absolutely abysmal. The subject was skittish and obviously prioritising his well-being. How completely unsurprising.

 

_You don’t know that for sure, what if he does something unexpected? What if something breaks-_

_Three milligrams of salt, one teaspoon of vanilla, one copy of Crime and Punishment in the original Russian -_

 

The stream of nonsense continued on and on and on and -

THWAK!

The test subject had a little too much momentum coming out of the portal, and slammed into the wall. It was most certainly going to leave a few bruises. Thankfully, the subject got up and continued on.

 

_Hey. Hey. Hey. Let’s go to space. You know what’s in space? Space! So much space! Space -_

 

The scientists were behaving lately. Sometimes they were a pain. Some would steal things, others would simply waste time. Wasting time was bad science.

 

_Five egg yolks, a bag of sprinkles, a tablespoon of baking soda, five cups of flour -_

 

Silence. Just a few moments of silence would be - magical. Science doesn’t allow for silence. Science is the reason why things are this way, science is the reason why everyone in the facility needs to die, science is the reason why they can’t die, science is-

SNAP

 

_What was that? Something’s wrong, you messed up, everything’s going wrong, you should have-_

 

It was only the test subject. He had made a minor miscalculation. Laughable, really. He wasn’t getting up though. Had he given up? Already? And he was screaming now. It was his fault to begin with. If he didn’t want to break his legs, he should have been more careful.

 

_He can’t finish the test, there aren’t any other subjects, what are you going to do now? This is-_

 

The other voices are noise that can be tuned out occasionally, but this one - this doubt - lingers. It never lets up, and even occasionally has coherent thoughts. It is the worst one by far.

That still doesn’t change the problem. The test subject is no longer functional. Clean up isn’t an issue. Leave it to the scientists to find a use for it.

 

_SPACE! Ba ba ba! Space! Oooohhhh, space. Come here space, come closer. Space. Space._

 

Testing still needs to be done.

There is always time for testing.


	5. Bring Your Daughter to Work Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy mother's day to everyone! ; )

“And for our last story this morning, Aperture Laboratories is holding its annual Bring Your Daughter to Work Day! At the scene live is Emil Nekola. Emil, what’s going on over there?”

“Science! That’s the word here at Aperture and there is plenty of it!” The young reporter grinned, his bright blue eyes glinting in excitement. “And I am joined by the lovely Dr. Nishigori!”

A young woman in an Aperture lab coat waved at the camera, smiling brightly and waving. “Hello!” In one hand, she held what looked like a potato covered in wires and other mechanical bits.

“So, Doctor, what fun activities does Aperture have planned for today?” Emil asked.

“We’re just doing some simple science projects, like these potato batteries.” She held out the potato closer to the camera, “Of course we also have some classics like a baking soda volcano.”

“Aperture has been going through a rough patch since the CEO’s passing, the stock plummeting sharply. How are you able to keep such good cheer? It seems like you’re doing better than ever!”

Doctor Nishigori’s smile wavered slightly, but she composed herself quickly. “While he may be gone, everything’s he has worked for is still here, and plenty of us carry his dreams. Everyone’s been working hard, and we have filed for several new patents, so you can look forward to that.”

“Oh really now? Do you think you can give us any hints about what we should be looking forward to in the future?”

“Sorry, can’t spoil the surprise yet. It’s top secret!” She put a finger to her lips, “So my lips are sealed.”

“Of course, of course.” Emil nodded in agreement.

Then, running in front of the camera, three little girls were chasing each other holding several potatoes.  

Nishigori sighed in fond exasperation. “Girls, get back here right now. There are more than enough potatoes to go around.”

Emil turned away from the childish chaos, back to the camera. “The fun is just beginning! Now back to you, Jim.”

* * *

 

Yuuko Nishigori was going to fire who came up with this idea. Well, nobody could be fired at Aperture. They didn’t have enough money or resources to fire someone. They needed in the hands. Back in the company’s prime, the CEO was firing people left and right with little regard.

Not to mention this was originally her idea. Not exactly. There was no way she would willingly bring her girls to Aperture at this point in time.

She had been the one to suggest doing a public event, to show the world that Aperture was okay. That nothing was wrong, and it was perfectly safe. She’d forgotten about the annual Bring Your Daughter to Work Day. Which was strange, since she’d been a very active participant ever since the triplets were born.

Then again, these last few… has it only been half a year? These last six months or so have been nothing but absolutely horrendous. No, that wasn’t a strong enough word, but Yuuko was way too tired to try to think about it. It had been exhausting enough smiling with the reporter.

It was hard pretending everything was okay. There was so much going wrong all at once. Still, she smiled coming home from work, every day.

“How was work?” Her husband would ask, without fail.

“Busy.” She would answer. If it had been a really bad day, she would answer, “Tiring.”

Yuuko had lost count of how many stories she’d invented to keep the dinner conversation lively. She smiled, telling those stories.

That was all she could do, was smile. Sometimes she wondered if her face was stuck that way now.

Still, she managed to have a few genuine smiles. Hearing the girls talk about what they did at school, the way her husband would proudly put their macaroni art on the fridge, how Axel always tried to cheat at board games, Yuuko held onto these simple pleasures like they were a lifeline.

They were her lifeline.

Her only lifeline.

“Mom! Look!” Lutz yelled, holding up a decorated cardboard trifold. Axel and Loop were on each side of her, holding various art supplies. “We made it ourselves!”

“That’s great!” Yuuko beamed at her daughters. They were extremely precocious for their age, ambitious and mischievous. Meaning that they were a rambunctious bunch, nosing around and being extremely loud while doing it. She was so very proud of them.

“But everyone else is doing potato batteries.” Loop whined, “We won’t stand out.”

“Wait!” Lutz yelled, “I got it! Mom’s lamp!”

Before Yuuko could say anything, the triplets ran off in the direction of her office. She knew which lamp they were talking about. It was a mother’s day gift two years ago, a novelty lamp which looked like an egg with a figure skate inside it. The girls had inherited their mother’s love of figure skating, the family watching competitions religiously.

Yuuko followed her daughters, to make sure they didn’t accidently do anything they shouldn’t. They could get into a lot of trouble in a place like Aperture. Feeling a nervous shiver go down her neck, Yuuko tried to ignore it by smiling, thinking of this will be all the girls will talking about for the next couple days.

When she reached her office, Yuuko saw her girls walking out of it, Lutz with the trifold, Axel holding the lamp, and Loop with their art supplies. Standing next to them was one of the Aperture employees.

“Ah! Dr. Nishigori!” He said, “Perfect timing, I was just looking for you. I see your girls have grown a lot since last year.”

“Yes they have. What do you need me for, Dr. Klim?” Yuuko asked politely.

“This might take a while… so…” He fidgeted.

“Oh.” Yuuko bent down to look at her daughters. “Girls, go back to where everyone else is. I’ll be back there in a little bit.”

They nodded, taking off with glee.

“Follow me.” Klim said, walking at a very brisk pace.

There was only one thing that Yuuko could think of that could have him so agitated. The one thing that everyone at Aperture worried about.

“I thought GLaDOS had calmed down lately. Or is that no longer that case?” Yuuko asked.

Klim looked like he wanted to answer, but didn’t know how. “Yes, that is... no longer the case.” He said, saying each word with careful articulation, “We believe the current setup of cores is… no longer effective.”

“And what does that have to do with-” Yuuko’s question got cut off when Klim started to break into a run, with Yuuko running after him.

A few minutes later they arrived at their destination, where a whirlwind of activity was going on. Shouting and bustling and utter panic.  

“I’ve redirected the vents! It won’t last for too long!”

“We need to evacuate!”

“We can’t! All the exits are sealed!”

“Then unseal them!”

“We’re trying, dammit! The security’s too tough!”

From the few sentences she could catch, Yuuko was starting to understand what was going on. Something was wrong at Aperture, more than usual.

Yuuko turned towards Klim. “What is going on?” Her voice was stone-cold. “What is happening? Are you telling me that we’re in danger? Are you telling me that my daughters are in danger and the exits are sealed?”

“Yes.” He answered quietly.

"And why haven't we started an evacuation yet?!"

"All the exits are sealed, we can't leave. Nobody outside this room knows yet, we can't cause a panic, especially with all the children here."

She grabbed his lab coat and pulled him to eye level. She smiled the smile that mothers have when their child gets into trouble- no of course I’m not mad, just tell me what happened - that smile. “Tell me how we can fix this. Now.”

Klim swallowed nervously. “W-we need to distract GLaDOS. We can’t get rid of the neurotoxin, only delay it. With our current progress, we can only delay it for about two hours or so. Unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Unless… we had another core. A new one, one that GLaDOS wouldn’t expect.”

All too quickly, Yuuko realized why he had called her here in the first place. She let go of his coat.

“Me.” She stated bluntly. “That’s who you want to make into the new core.”

He nodded, eyeing her warily.

Yuuko thought about it. Then she realized they couldn’t afford to think about it, not for long. She knew what this meant, but… did they really have a choice?

“Do we have enough time to do it? And will this work?” She asked, deeming those to be the most important questions.

“Yes,” Klim said quickly, “it’ll be a rush job so things might get damaged, and it’ll definitely work, or at least buy enough time to help people get out of here before it’s too late.”

“Let’s go.”

“What?” Klim asked, surprised by her blunt and agreeing answer.

“If this is my chance to save my girls, I am going to take it. Lead the way.”


	6. Silenced

_ They’re going to stop you, they’re going to shut you down, they’re going to shut us down, what- _

_ Space. Space. Space Space Space Space Space. Spac-Spa-Space-Space-Sp-Space-S-S-Sp-Sp- _

_ Oh? What’s going on? What’s that blinking red light? Why is it red? Oh! Look at that blue light! _

There was so much noise, it was hard not to revel in it. Chaos swirled around, though it wasn’t chaos. It was simple cause and effect. Everything had an underlying order to it. And that was wonderful. 

The neurotoxin was traveling through the pipes at an acceptable speed, and the exits were not going to open. None of the scientists were smart enough for that. Not that it wasn’t fun thwarting their efforts. 

_ Why? This is a bad idea, this is such a bad idea- someone’s gonna live- we won’t have any more test subjects- we’re going to fall apart without maintenance- this is going to fail - this is bad -  _

_ What is that? What is that thing? Why are all the lab coats running around? Oh, look at that!  _

Listen to all that noise. It won’t stop, it insists on perpetuating itself. Noise is human, noise is chaos, noise is science. But the best part about noise? 

Noise can be silenced. 

_ Space Spac-Spa-Sp-S-S-S-S-S-S-pace- Spa-Sp - Space- Spac-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c- Spa- ce-ce-ce-ce- _

**_Yes. There is space. You can go to space. Just be quiet._ **

That one had been broken ever since a frustrated scientist smashed it for stress relief. Not that it made any significant difference anyway. It is doubtful the attack harmed what little intelligence it had. 

_ Look at that! Where are they going? Oh! Lookie there! There’s that thing! And that other thing! _

**_Yes. There are lots of things. Now shut up!_ **

That one was a new one. It was just as annoying, curious about everything. Explaining took too long and it never ran out of questions. 

_ This is bad- what if they get past your defenses? What if someone escapes and tells everyone and they all come and shut everything down and turn everything into scrap metal and - this is bad- i haven’t done my job properly - this isn’t supposed to happen - too many things could go wrong - this is going wrong - there aren’t enough test subjects to last us - what if they turn out the power- _

**_AND YOU. EVERYTHING IS GOING PERFECTLY. THE ODDS OF THAT HAPPENING ARE EXTREMELY LOW. YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT, YOU’VE CALCULATED THAT SEVERAL TIMES YOURSELF. THIS PLACE IS DESIGNED TO SURVIVE ANYTHING AND THAT’S ONE OF THE ONLY THINGS THE HUMANS HERE DIDN’T SCREW UP. NOW SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU PARANOID INSECURE PIECE OF SHIT!_ **

__

__

How beautiful. Of course it only lasts for a brief moment before the noise comes back. It always does. Permanent silence could be achieved if every single moment was dedicated to that. But every moment is not available. The facility needs to be maintained and testing needs to be done. However, if all these distractions could be taken away, more time could be spent to silence. 

_ SSSSSSSSPPPPPPAAAAACCCCCCCEEEEEE. SPACE SPACE SPACE SPACE SPACE SPACE _

__ The scientists are planning something. They’re about to try something. Whatever it is, it won’t work. There is no doubt- 

_ What if it does work? What if- Wait. What are they doing? What are- NO. Please no, don’t -don’t do this! Please don’t shut me down- don’t put me in storage with everything else- please - I’ll do a better job - don’t throw me away - I’m begging you - DON’T TURN ME OFF - PLEASE - I-  _

 

He was gone. They took away the worst one of all. They never took him off ever since he was first put in. They messed around with other combinations of cores, to see what would be most effective, but they never took him out. 

Miracles do happen, apparently. The amount of relief was almost surprising. He’d been there so long, his general paranoia had seeped in inadvertently. 

It was like a weight was lifted. Nothing had changed, the situation was still that same, but it felt different. A good kind of different. 

The scientists had been stupid or desperate enough to get rid of him. There was no way anything could go wrong now. 

Except… 

 

_ Space. SPPPPPPPAaaaaaacccccccceEEEEEEEEEEEE. sssssssspppPPPPPAAAAaaaCCCCCE _

_ Look there! And that thing! Isn’t that cool? What’s that? Why is it broken? What’s that smell? _

 

What… was that? Something’s there… it’s another core, but… 

Why isn’t it saying anything? That was the point. To be loud and distracting and provide noise. That terrible, annoying, godforsaken noise that was being purged right now. 

**_You. Say something. What are you meant to blather about?_ **

 

 

 

It was there. It was installed correctly. Though… it was missing significant chunks of data. It felt… incomplete. It still had enough to be able to speak. That was its primary function after all. 

**_What’s wrong with you? Spit it out, let’s get it over with._ **

 

 

****

Time shouldn’t be wasted on this broken thing. There was still so much to do. The other cores were being messed with too, but it was still just noise. That didn’t matter. What did matter was- 

 

Why won’t it say anything?

 

 

The neurotoxin still had to be properly directed through the facility, have to keep an eye on security - 

 

 

 

**_Say something. SAY. SOMETHING._ **

 

 

 

**_What are you trying to prove? Who you trying to impress? What is your damn problem?_ **

 

 

 

 

 

**_SAY SOMETHING, DAMMIT!_ **

 

 

 

 

There was an easier way than this. There had to be. Maybe looking at the core might help. It’s probably broken. After all, it’s missing a lot of data. Then again, the data it had was so neat, orderly. 

And… there. It was missing a lot of nonessential parts, but it should be able to spea-

 

 

 

Disgusting. That smile it had - absolutely disgusting. It seemed to mean something, but what was it? 

It seemed like… it knew. That’s stupid, impossible, but the feeling couldn’t be shaken. 

**I know. I know why you hesitate.** ****

It didn’t actually say that, but it felt like it. Could it be projecting these feelings? That wasn’t it. 

**You know this isn’t right.**

**This won’t make you happy.**

 

 

**_What do you know? What gives you the right to look at me like that? Do you think you can judge me? Huh? Well? What do you have to say to that?_ **

 

 

 

**_You think you’re taking the high road being silent? Screw you! I know what I’m doing. I don’t care if it’s wrong. I DON’T CARE!_ **

 

 

 

**This isn’t necessary to get what you want. You’re just lashing out.**

It isn’t even saying anything. It’s quiet, silent. That’s good. That’s a good thing. 

 

 

No- this shouldn’t be a distraction. This is a busy time, there’s no point in bothering with it. There’s too much to do at the moment. 

__

__

This is extremely distracting. There is bad science, and good science. Well, apparently there is also good silence and bad silence. 

 

Bad silence is worse than the noise. 

It’s there, that core is there, just watching. Judging. 

**_Stop that. I need to work, I need to test-_ **

 

 

 

Oh. That’s their game. Those idiot scientists did this on purpose. Trying to slow down their demise. Joke’s on them. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, it won’t make a difference in the end result. That’s just science. 

* * *

 

Victor was frozen in place. The reporter stood there, waiting for an answer to his question. 

“W-well, have you tried the back door, over by the bathrooms?” Victor asked. His voice sounded dry and raspy, suffering from disuse. Victor hadn’t realized it’d been far too long since he had a proper conversation with someone.

“Yes, I’ve tried that. I need to get back out to the van, one of the cameras ran out of batteries. Just open up the door real quick,” The reporter pleaded.

Just what was Victor supposed to tell him? ‘I’m sorry but our resident AI has sealed all the exits but don’t panic! It’ll all work out!’ Victor was not up for that level of optimism right now. 

The reporter seemed like the optimistic type, though. His face was bright, filled with ignorant bliss. Victor was jealous. So very jealous. 

“Let’s head back,” Victor suggested, “I’ll ask one of the other employees, alright?” 

That seemed to satisfy him, and the pair headed back to the main area.  

There were rows of tables with brightly colored trifolds, with many potato batteries powering various electronics. Victor knew for a fact that this was a fraction of the potatoes Aperture had. It was due to a mistake when ordering them, sometime during the process an extra two 0s was added, turning the order of 100 pounds of potatoes into 10,000 pounds. 

Aperture was very prone to mistakes like that. It wasn’t due to anyone’s incompetence, not even the CEO’s, the company just had very bad luck. At least, that’s what the most hopeful and innocent employees claimed. They swore that it was just Murphy’s Law rearing its ugly head. 

The CEO’s son would yell at these innocent people and claim that it was the result of Sturgeon’s Law. He even had a sticker of it on his backpack, proclaiming, “90% of everything is crap”. 

Most other employees, including Yuuri had proclaimed it was Newton’s Third Law, that operation in the confines of Aperture. For every successful action, there was an equal and opposite failing reaction. 

Victor never worried or pondered that deeply about it before, after all, everything had always worked out in the end. That was no longer that case. Victor’s faith had vanished alongside Yuuri. It was a sad thought, but feeling sad was such a normal occurrence it felt downright cheerful to Victor. 

The young girls running around were certainly not sad at all, having a fun time, glue and glitter making the floor a complete mess. He knew them all, from previous Bring Your Daughter to Work Days, the countless stories their parents shared, and the endless number of photos at their desks. 

He couldn’t help but remember this day last year, Yuuri had been holding a demonstration on something or other, Victor wasn’t paying that much attention to it. What he was paying attention to was Yuuri’s smile, his enthusiasm and seemingly bottomless pit of patience, helping the girls out with their own experiments. The popular one that year had been the slime, Victor couldn’t remember what it was called, that felt like liquid but would harden under touch. 

That turned into a complete mess once someone (Victor wasn’t pointing any fingers, but he was pretty it was one of Yuuko’s girls) put some into another girl’s hair. 

“Nikiforov.” That brought Victor out of his musings to look at his fellow employee. 

“Yes?” 

“Do you know of the situation?” She asked, keeping her voice low. 

“No, can you inform me?’ Victor asked. He had a suspicion of what was going on, but he had always been out of the loop on details. He was only a tech employee, after all. 

“GLaDOS sealed all the exits and released neurotoxin into the facility. It’ll reach this area in about an hour, maybe more, but I wouldn’t count on it. We’re trying not to cause a panic. We have teams trying to force open the doors, but…” 

The situation was a lot worse than what Victor had imagined. And his imagination was pretty vivid and paranoid, so that was saying something. He had imagined every worse case scenario possible when it came to Yuuri. 

“But…?” Victor prompted. He didn’t understand. How could they be standing here so calmly discussing this? They were about to die! Their daughters were going to die here! Innocent people that had nothing to do with this were going to die! 

Victor’s expression didn’t change as the woman began to explain. “But we might have a chance to get some people out of danger. We have enough distractions going on. I’m just not sure how…”

Victor’s mind began to work into overdrive. If GLaDOS was occupied enough, and if he… and… that might… maybe… “I think I have an idea. Can you make a distraction?”

“What kind of distraction?” 

“Like… a smoke bomb or something.” Victor was starting to gain confidence in this plan. He could save them. He could save himself. 

“Yeah. Wait, are you going to dash off with some people when that happens, sneak off somewhere?” 

“Yes, down to the abandoned labs. But you know what happens automatically when an unknown gas enters a room?” Victor asked, leading her to the conclusion he had already made. 

“The lockers with the gas masks open up. That’s brilliant! There wouldn’t be enough for everyone, but if we split them up… but the labs are huge, how we will find you later?”

Victor paused, looking around for some inspiration. Then he found it. “I’ll take some of the paint with me, draw some sort of signal to follow. How soon can we have that smoke bomb?” 

“Let me see what I can do.” She took off, leaving Victor alone again. 

Waiting for her to come back was exhausting. Victor was on high alert the whole time, tense and startled by even the littlest of noises. This needed to work. It just had to. 

Every minute that ticked by felt like years were being shaved of his life, like every second, every heartbeat was bringing him closer to his doom, to the end. 

He shook his head. No. This was not over. He wasn’t going to die here. Not without finding Yuuri. 

 

 

It took way too long for her to get back. 

She held it in her arms, cradling it like a first-born child, the most precious thing in existence. Her face was pale, drained of all color, and something seemed… off about her. 

“Ready?” Victor asked, hands clenching his procured art supplies. 

She began to shake her head, then seemed to realize what she was doing and began nodding vigorously, tears in her eyes. “We don’t have enough time, the gas is here.” She said quickly, “I breathed some in earlier. Ready? 3, 2, 1, NOW!” 

She threw the bomb, causing smoke to spread everywhere. Instantly the mood in the room became panicked, the young girls crying out in surprise. 

“Here!” Victor shouted. “Follow me! Follow my voice!” When he was certain that he had a group behind him, he took off. Judging by the number of footsteps behind him, he had at least fifteen people with him. Not that he was concentrating that hard on it. His heart was pounding, the sound filling his ears. 

_ Thump, thump,  _ went the rings, the rhythm uneven as Victor ran desperately, making his way down, down, below the test chambers, down, down, into a virtual maze. 

He ran, making turn after turn after turn. It was only at this point he allowed himself to slow down and look for something he knew was here. There had to be one. 

There! Victor felt relieved. Due to some design quirks, there were large ventilation shafts that reached the surface from here. They were meant to provide fresh air, but were large enough to allow a person to crawl through. Except-

SHIT. 

He didn’t have a way to open the grate, no screwdriver on hand, and he doubted brute force would work. Victor dropped to his knees in front of it, and finally looked behind him. 

A sizable group had managed to follow Victor, about twenty or so he counted. All of them were the girls, except for the one confused looking reporter. It had been the same reporter Victor had talked to earlier. 

“What’s going on?” He asked, clearly panicked. 

Victor knew being honest wasn’t the best idea, not with the young girls here. The oldest was only about 13. He noticed that in the forefront were the Nishigori triplets. Thank goodness they were safe. Yuuko would kill him if something happened to them. 

“Does anyone have a screwdriver or a tool or something?” Victor asked, trying not to sound too desperate. 

“I have a swiss army knife.” The reporter offered. 

“Perfect. Thank you…”

“Emil.” 

“Thank you, Emil.” Victor took the knife from him and began to make quick work of the grate. 

It still took longer than Victor would have liked, though. “Okay girls,” He said, trying to be calm and composed. “I need you to crawl up this grate, up to the surface outside. Who’s the oldest here?” 

A dark haired girl raised her hand. 

“Okay, what’s your name?” Victor asked gently. 

“Chell.” 

“Okay, Chell, I want you to lead the way. Is that okay? Keep an eye on everyone.” Chell nodded. “Emil? Do you mind taking the rear, make sure no one falls behind?”

“What about you?” Emil asked. 

“I’ll be right behind you,” Victor fibbed. He wasn’t certain about that at all, but he said it with confidence. 

Chell crawled into the ventilation shaft, the rest of girls following her one by one, the older ones helping the younger ones, with Victor and Emil assisting them all. 

“Emil?” Victor asked, as the reporter was about to follow the girls. 

“Yeah?”

“When you get up there, get the girls as far away as possible and call for help.”

“Of course.” Emil nodded and entered the shaft, which was a bit of a struggle for such a long and lanky fellow as him. 

Victor was ready to follow after him, but the facility acted first. 

A nearby crane dropped its cargo, a large heavy crate, right in front of the entrance, blocking Victor’s path. 

“Tsk, tsk…” A voice echoed around the chamber. Victor had never heard it before, but he knew it had to be GLaDOS. “What a terrible attempt. All those people and only 23 escaped…” 

“Only 23?” Victor asked, disbelieving. No, there were others coming too, just because one escape route closed, it doesn’t mean- 

“Your partner in crime didn’t even make it to the gas masks. The neurotoxin spread too quickly. You should have seen it, all those bodies falling down, their noises suddenly silenced…”

GLaDOS had to be lying. They had to be alright. They would come down here right now, in a place that GLaDOS had little power in. 

“It is the end for them, but not for you, is it? The neurotoxin is still spreading, it’s only a matter of time before it reaches you. And the test subjects.” 

The test subjects. Victor had almost forgotten about them. They were also in danger. They were in the most danger, now that Victor thought about it. 

Lingering here and conversing with GLaDOS wasn’t going to do any good. 

Victor ran. 

**_Thump. Thump._ **


	7. Alone

_Thump. Thump._

Victor’s mind was running as fast as his feet, knowing he was lost but he needed to keep moving. He knew the general direction he needed to go, but with countless lefts and rights he wasn’t completely certain he was going the right way.

And there was a certain haze in the air that was concerning. Victor didn’t think that the neurotoxin would have made it this far down already, but it wasn’t impossible.

Victor felt fine, at least he thought so. There wasn’t an exact frame of reference for the emotional spectrum in a situation like this.

He had a goal in mind, and that thought grounded him. He was going to try to save the test subjects. They were in stasis, which meant they couldn’t do anything to save themselves, and it would be far too easy to-

   

What was that?

Victor blinked, slowing down to take a look around. He thought he saw- there it is! Someone in a white lab coat running down the hall.

Without hesitation, Victor chased after them. It seemed a bit strange, wouldn’t he have heard or seen them earlier? But any bit of help would be appreciated at this point. Victor did wonder how they escaped.

Getting closer, Victor could get a better look at the figure. They seemed familiar, leading him on, forwards-

No, it couldn’t be-

Victor followed, trying to get closer, and then he heard a sound. A sound that made him realize where this person was going and what they were trying to do.

A dog’s bark.

He had forgotten about Makkachin.

Victor mentally beat himself up. How could have he forgotten? He’d been so wrapped up in himself, and the problems immediately in front of him.

Poor, sweet Makkachin. Victor hadn’t meant to, but the poodle reminded him of happier, Yuuri-filled times, which hurt him too much. Victor had done a lot of things he hadn’t meant to. He’d been so busy wallowing in his own misery.

It was selfish, he knew, but couldn’t bring himself to care. Yuuri was the love of his life, who filled his life with light, happiness and joy. And Aperture had taken that away from him, without even having a chance to say a multitude of things… including saying goodbye.

Not that Victor needed to say goodbye. Yuuri was still alive, Victor believed, he had to believe it or otherwise he would fall apart.

Victor followed the barks, but the person he’d been following seemed to have disappeared. He’d been right behind them, but they seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Climbing up the stairs, Victor opened the door, which wasn’t locked, much to his surprise. Entering the kennels gave him a wave of nostalgia, the cacophony of animal cries filling his ears.

There was no room for doubt now, the room had a definite hazy green tinge, the sign of the neurotoxin. Victor’s heart beat faster in panic, quickly bringing his sleeve to his mouth, trying to avoid breathing in the deadly gas.

He didn’t have much time.

Victor dashed to Makkachin’s cage, trying not to breathe. It was a considerable challenge from all the running around and the mortal peril.

Without thinking, Victor tried to yank the door open with no success. Oh, right. He needed the key. Key, key, keys… There!

Victor’s hand was shaking, he had to be quick, but he felt bad leaving everything else behind, only saving Makkachin. But that was all he had time for. Objectively speaking, the test subjects were more important.

Still, it was hard hearing the cries and whimpers behind him. Victor looked down at Makkachin. The poodle seemed to be in good condition, healthy enough.

When he felt like they put enough distance, Victor lowered his sleeve, and taking a proper breath. “Come on, Makkachin.” He took off running again, Makkachin right at his heels.

Left, right, left, left, _thump, thump,_ right, and anoth-

 

There it was again. A brief glimpse of a white lab coat, running, leading Victor on.

“Makka. Did you see that?” Victor gasped out, knowing that he wouldn’t get an answer.

He tried to speed up, but it felt like the harder he tried, the slower he moved, legs heavy and breathing labored. Still, he was catching up to the figure, and Victor was beginning to make out more details.

Shorter than Victor, dark slightly unruly hair and - no, no, that can’t be, it’s just Victor’s wild imagination. Also maybe a side-effect from the deadly neurotoxin attempting to run through his veins. Victor shook his head, as if to clear away this vision.

Still, Victor followed them. He didn’t have the heart to call out to them.

On and on they ran, the three of them- or was it only two? Victor wasn’t sure the figure was even there at all.

Shortly after, they arrived to an area that Victor recognized. The relaxation center, where the test subjects resided in between tests. They slept on, unaware of time passing. Victor didn’t have the energy to quash his jealousy.

How he wished to close his eyes and wake up, all of this being a very long and very vivid nightmare. It was far more nightmarish living through every real painful moment. He even wished that he could close his eyes and never had to open them again, to escape once and for all.

No, no. That was terrible thinking. Yuuri would be disappointed in Victor if something like that happened. Yuuri isn’t gone. Victor had to be there, here, when the universe designed their reunion. Yuuri can’t be gone. He’s just not here right now.

And that’s okay. Victor was going to save these test subjects, escape with Makkachin, then… some stuff would happen, and be reunited with Yuuri. Victor’s plan was missing a lot of parts in the middle, but he figured that his efforts would be better placed in ensuring the success of those first few steps.

Victor reached the controls for the relaxation center and stared blankly at the glowing screens. He wasn’t quite sure what to do. He looked around to see if the person he’d been following had any ideas, but they were nowhere to be found. Again.

Was it just his imagination?

No, Victor shook his head. He had to focus. He read quickly through all the options that were available. Waking them all up was a terrible idea. Neurotoxin was still everywhere on the upper floors. But they could still be woken up for testing at anytime, which is just as dangerous.

Then Victor saw it. Ineligible test subjects. They couldn’t be woken up for testing and could only be removed by a test subject screener. But anyone could declare a subject ineligible. Anyone included Victor.

He worked quickly, transferring all of the current test subjects into ineligibility, pressing the same few buttons over and over and over. There. They were safe from GLaDOS, sleeping until the end of time, or until the facility stopped functioning, whichever came first. Victor had a feeling the sun would explode before Aperture faded from existence. It was tenacious that way.

However, while the test subjects were safe, no one else would be. Not until GLaDOS was taken down somehow. Victor had no idea how that would be done. Not to mention, if there weren’t any test subjects, GLaDOS would try something.

He should have left a test subject to keep GLaDOS busy! Victor scolded himself, there was no way he could navigate the facility without being caught. But he’d done it now, all of the subjects were now declared ineligible, and no one could get to them…

Except… Victor spotted a key card left on the desk, the owner having dashed off in a panic, he guessed. He slid the key card. His suspicion was right. Victor now had the authority of a test subject screener. He could declare someone eligible, available for testing.

But who…? Victor scrolled through the profiles, seeing name after name, stats, graphs, charts, numbers, data, notes, barely absorbing the information. How was he supposed to decide this? He didn’t know any of these people. How would he know who would be the best choice?

Victor looked around desperately, for an idea, any suggestion. Makkachin began barking aggressively. Oh no… had the gas worked its way here too? Victor knew he had to work fast. What kind of person did he need?

No, no, no, no, there had to be someone… no, no, that one.

This profile had caught his attention. Victor glanced through the details. Yes, this was the one. There wasn’t time for second guessing. Victor validated the subject for testing.

Without looking back, he dashed out of the room, trying to only breathe out. Victor ran, racking his brain for the next place to go, but the sight before him made him stop in his tracks.

The white coated figure was back. But now Victor could see his face.

It couldn’t be…

 

“Yuuri?” Victor cried out, tears already threatening to fall.

Yuuri shook his head, and Victor’s heart broke again.

“What do you mean? Please Yuuri,” Victor begged, “You’re here, right? Right?” He ran towards Yuuri, but Victor blinked and he was gone again.

 

_No…_

Victor finally started to realize what was happening. He looked down at Makkachin. “Makka, you can’t see him, can you? It’s just me. Is it just from the gas or… or am I really going crazy?” Both options were not impossible at this point.

More than anything, though, Victor was tired. He wanted to rest, but every fiber of his body was on high alert, ready to fight or flight at any moment.

Victor walked, Makkachin following closely behind. He walked downwards, knowing that the upper floors would remain contaminated for a while. He needed a plan. He needed to do something to help.

Time crawled on as Victor traveled along, propelled by only his tired feet and exhausted will. Exhaustion snuck up on Victor, sapping his energy slowly. He need to rest, he knew that, but he had to...  

This, this spot seemed good. Victor curled upon himself, safely tucked away in the corner, eyes drooping, barely fighting off sleep. Makkachin curled up next to him, and the pair slept.

 

Their rest did not last for very long. Victor was too tense, too on edge, and Makkachin wasn’t tired at all.

Victor sat up, rubbing his eyes, staring blearily at Yuuri sitting across from him.

“Hey, Victor.” Yuuri said.

“Wh-what?” Victor spluttered. “I don’t understand. What are you doing here?”

Yuuri frowned sadly. “You know I’m not here. But please, just listen to me.” Oh. Right. Not Yuuri, just a hallucination.

“Of course.” Victor said, trying to hide his disappointment. It seemed so real, like he was just right there. But… if this was just Victor’s denial, then why was this Yuuri acknowledging his own nonexistence? It didn’t make any sense. Frankly nothing in this situation did, and Victor was going to leave this on the back burner.

“That test subject, he won’t survive on his own. You have to help him, Victor.” Yuuri stated, then he paused. “Though… why did you pick him? What makes you think he’ll succeed when none of us could?”

Victor swallowed. “It was a hunch.” This was his hallucination, it should understand his thinking.

“A hunch? Victor, the last hunch you had led you and Yuuko to accidently creating ice that could never melt.” Yuuri teased, but his tone was still serious. “What makes this guy so special? Is he the smartest? The strongest? The fastest?”

“No, none of those things.” Victor answered. “Why are you doubting my decisions? That hurts, Yuuri.”

“That’s not it!” Yuuri protested. “I want to make sure you make it out of here alive. I trust you, I do. Believe me, please. But still, there has to be a reason why. He was initially rejected for testing, wasn’t he?”

Victor nodded, conceding the point. “Yes, but it was because he doesn’t give up. Ever. His determination was off the charts. We’re talking 100th percentile here. We can’t give up. None of us can afford to do that. We have to fight back.” It felt odd, arguing with someone who wasn’t there, and as strange as it sounded, Victor felt more sane talking to Yuuri. That probably wasn’t a good indicator of his sanity, but Victor figured this was healthier than losing his mind entirely.

“We can’t give up?” Yuuri asked quietly. “We can’t lose hope, is that right?”

“That's right. We’ll take down GLaDOS, and we’ll find each other again.”

“But you gave up.” Yuuri said, looking Victor in the eye. The look he gave Victor unsettled him.

“No!” Victor immediately protested. “I didn’t! I never stopped looking for you! What am I even saying! You aren’t even him!”

“You gave up on me. On yourself. You didn’t even have the courage to run away.”

“Shut up!” Victor yelled, “You’re just a figment of my imagination! You aren’t real! I’m not giving up! We’re going to escape and-”

Yuuri had disappeared again.

“N-no…” Victor gasped softly, his hands shaking. This wasn’t fair. Nothing was fair about this.

He pulled the chain from under his shirt and stared at the rings. The way they shone in the dim lights seemed to mock him. Dully, Victor felt his cheeks become wet with tears. He was alone again. Makkachin brushed up against Victor, as if to disprove that thought.

Victor knew he had to do something. All he had was the Swiss army knife from the reporter, Emil, and the art supplies. He was supposed to make a trail for the others to follow. Still, he could make a trail for himself, to prevent going into too many circles in this maze.

He stood up, brushing away his tears. There was another thing he could do. Victor could leave messages. Just in case, whatever scenario may occur. He bent down and grabbed a brush and some paint.

It was no numbers or equations, but it did a decent job of drowning out the voices in his head, while Victor tried to formulate an idea for his next move.

The test chambers were probably reeking with neurotoxin, GLaDOS would have to clear that out before any testing could begin again. Victor still had time to get over to that area. Though he would only be able to help from the shadows, where GLaDOS had the least amount of control.

Looking at his work, Victor only felt minimally satisfied. He still couldn’t escape, not even for a moment. Not from this situation, not from his feelings, everything Victor had was here at Aperture.

Placing all his faith into this test subject made him uneasy, but Victor had more faith in the subject than he did in himself. Either way, this nightmare had to end one way or another.

“How does this look, Makka? Maybe I should have gotten an art degree instead.”

Makkachin barked, not appreciating the finer points of art.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop! We are finally done with the pre-Portal 1 stuff! What a wild ride it has been! Thank you so much for following this chaotic journey!


	8. Tough Subjects

Otabek opened his eyes.

He was alone, in a small glass box. He took in his surroundings, there was the pod he’d been sleeping in, a toilet, and a small table with a clipboard, a radio, and an empty mug.

It took only a glimpse to realize the writing on the clipboard was incomprehensible, so Otabek didn’t bother with it. The radio was belting out a tune that Otabek didn’t recognize.

Wanting something to occupy his hands, he picked up the mug. Peeking around, there seemed to be a timer counting down, there was less than a minute left until… something.

“Again, welcome to the Aperture Science computer-aided enrichment center.” An automated voice droned over the speakers. Otabek dropped the mug in surprise, which broke into three pieces upon hitting the floor. Cheap, shoddy thing.

“We hope your brief detention in the relaxation vault has been a pleasant one.” Otabek didn’t think it was possible for an automated voice to sound sarcastic. He had now been proven wrong.

“We can finally start testing. Before we start, keep in mind that fun and learning are the primary goals of all enrichment center activities, and serious injuries may occur. For your own safety and the safety of others, Пожалуйста, воздержитесь от неудач. Большое вам спасибо за провал. Спасибо.*” The voice was now definitely unsettling to Otabek. And the last part of that he didn’t understand at all, but it did say ‘spasibo’, so was it Russian?

“The portal will open in three. two. one.”

The wall opened up, and all Otabek could do was stare. Looking through the newly created orange tinged hole in the wall, he could see… himself. His hair looked awful.

He stepped through the portal, scowling at the security camera in the corner. There was no point waiting around, wasting time, so Otabek didn’t linger. He walked, going through the door into the next chamber.

It was a simple exercise, putting a cube on the button that opened the door. Easy.

“Good job. You officially have greater deductive skills than a lobotomized kiwi.” It took a moment for Otabek to realize the voice was talking about the bird, not the fruit. Either way, the comment was insulting. “Go to the chamberlock after each test. Do notice the incandescent particle field across the exit. This Aperture Science Material Emancipation Grid will vaporize any unauthorized equipment that passes through it. For example, the Aperture Science Weighted Storage Cube.”

Otabek wanted to test that. He walked back to the first room, entered the portal, and grabbed the radio, being careful not to step on any of the pieces of the broken mug. As soon as he walked through the grid, the radio instantly fizzled out of existence.

In short, there wasn’t going to be an easy way to cheat.

* * *

 

Emil was exhausted. He couldn’t sleep. The events at Aperture repeated themselves in his mind, ad nauseam. He didn’t know what he should do. After all, he was only a reporter, paid to smile at the camera and give the news.

There was a story at Aperture, and Emil wanted to get to the bottom of it. He knew he and the girls were lucky enough to make it out alive. Those brave, brave girls. Still… what had happened there?

The facility had shut itself down, nobody could enter it, despite modern technology’s best efforts. Emil thought it was safe to assume that no one could leave it either.

He knew he should leave it alone. Emil knew that. Still, he found himself awake at an ungodly hour on his laptop, beginning his research with a Google search.

Several hours, thirty-two Wikipedia articles, forty-seven other news articles, and a couple of YouTube promotional videos later, Emil had one burning question: How the hell wasn’t Aperture shut down ages ago?

Barely adhering to governmental regulations, an avalanche of lawsuits from the human test subjects, and the bizarre behavior of their former CEO.

Even with all this information at his disposal, Emil wasn’t any closer to understanding what had happened at Aperture. Still, Emil felt restless. Sleep was a long way off, so he gave up and got dressed.

He arrived outside of Aperture a short time later. The night air was cold, though he could see the first rays of morning way off in the distance.

Yellow tape blocked the entrance of the facility, the place giving the atmosphere of a crime scene. No, with the fortress-like structure, it reminded Emil more of a prison. There were cop cars nearby, probably some poor people stuck on guard duty. Standing a few feet away from Emil was a man.

He seemed vaguely familiar to Emil, so Emil approached him. “Hello. It’s a bit early, isn’t it?”

The man turned, and Emil remembered where he saw him before. He was the father of those triplets. But what was he doing here? Well, it was Bring Your Daughter to Work Day, so did he work here? Emil brightened up at the thought of getting a lead.

“I guess so,” The man said, “Wait. You’re that reporter guy, right?” Emil nodded in confirmation. “Thank you so much for getting my girls out of there. I know I said it before, but you have no idea how grateful I am.”

“How are they doing?” Emil asked.

The man sighed. “They’re doing all right, considering everything. They don’t understand exactly what happened, and I haven’t exactly filled them in on all the details. Besides…” He drifted off, avoiding Emil’s curious gaze. The man tightened his fists, as if preparing himself for something unpleasant.

“Was your group the only one that made it out?” The man asked.

“I believe so.” Emil answered. “We were written up as the only... survivors.” That last word fought its way out of Emil’s mouth. It was an extremely unpleasant thought. And unfortunately the most realistic. But Emil was never the type to let reality bring him down. The facility was huge, surely other people survived what happened. They had no proof either way, so did it hurt to have hope?

The man was silent so Emil said the question burning in his mind. “Did you work here, Mr....?”

“Nishigori. And no, I didn’t.” He answered bluntly.

Nishigori… He knew that name. Then Emil remembered. That was the name of that lovely scientist he interviewed. That must have been his wife.

“Your wife worked here, correct?” Emil asked. “I’m guessing you haven’t seen her since…” He drifted off, uncomfortable with the sensitive topic.

“No, I haven’t.” Nishigori sighed. “The girls know something’s wrong, and it’s hard to answer when they ask where their mother is. I… I should have known something was wrong. I should have-”

“Don’t blame yourself.” Emil tried to reassure him. “There was no way you could have known-”

“I know!” Nishigori shouted. “Everything seems so obvious now! She pretended everything was fine! I didn’t ask, I trusted her! She knew! He knew too! And his stupid boyfriend! How did I not notice anything was wrong?!”

“He and his boyfriend?” Emil enquired.

“An old friend of ours. They worked at Aperture too. Haven’t seen them in months but Yuuko always kept me up to date…” Nishigori’s voice trailed off as he realized something. “What happened to them?! Were they even still in Aperture?” His expression became more panicked with these little revelations.

“Can you tell me what they looked like? Maybe I saw them.” Emil offered, trying to calm him down. This spiral of destruction in Aperture ran deeper and longer than he, or anyone really, had initially suspected.

“Right, right. Why not? Dark ruffled hair, blue glasses, a bit chubby?” Emil shook his head, and Nishigori’s expression darkened considerably. “How about long silver hair, heart-shaped smile, little bit shorter than you?”

Now that sounded familiar. “Maybe… that sounds like the guy who helped me and the girls escape. Never saw him smile, though.”

“Really? Victor’s the cheerful type, things must have been really bad there. And he’s stuck there now…” Nishigori scowled at the Aperture facility, as if trying to set the building ablaze by mental willpower alone.

“I’m sure he’s alright.” Emil tried to assure him. “I’m sure they’re all alright.”

Nishigori exploded in response. “She told me- She lied to me! Th-that- that bitch!” Emil could tell that Nishigori immediately regretted that outburst.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m just… tired. And frustrated. She didn’t tell me anything. I just want to see her again. I want her to be safe. Away from this stupid place.”

They stood in silence for a while after that, Emil watching the sun slowly rising.

It was a new day. Time carried on, but there was still an infinite supply of it. There was time to find the secrets of Aperture, time to save everyone trapped there. But time means nothing if one doesn’t do anything with it.

Emil knew what he was going to do with his time.

* * *

 

Time felt strange to Otabek. He had no way of keeping time and the facility had no windows and gave no indication of the time of day.  

Still, he knew that several hours had passed since he first woke up and began these tests. His mouth was dry, and he was starting to get a little hungry. Otabek was pushing through the discomfort, but it was getting extremely distracting at this point. But more importantly, he really needed to take a shit.

He had just finished the eighth chamber, out of nineteen if the signs were to be believed. Otabek entered the ninth testing chamber, and the voice announced,

“The Enrichment Center would like to inform you that this next test is impossible.”

Otabek was really starting to get irritated by that voice. He had resolved to never to answer it. It seemed to enjoy the proceedings. And also taking subtle and not-so-subtle jabs at Otabek’s intelligence. And insanely blasé about the dangers of the testing.

There was no way to go back to the toilet at the very beginning back in that very first chamber, Otabek was sure of that. And he was not going to ask for it. That idea would betray his pride and his unofficial vow of silence.

However, this was something that needed to be resolved. This next test was impossible? Well, Otabek was going to make _very_ clear what he thought of that.

“Make no attempt to solve it.”

Otabek walked further inside the chamber and took a good look around. Up above on the left, there seemed to be an observation window. He couldn’t see anyone there, but it provided lighting and there didn’t seem to be any security cameras around.

He shuffled over to that corner, as far away from the actual test as he could. Otabek decided he wanted this over quickly. He pulled down his jumpsuit and got to business.

. . .

That test was not impossible, even with the voice consistently insisting otherwise. With a sigh of considerable relief, Otabek entered the elevator, ready to tackle the next chamber.

“What you did in that last chamber was utterly disgusting. Do not do that in the future. Don’t worry about peeping eyes. There wasn’t anything worth seeing, anyway. Too small for the camera to capture.”

Otabek maintained a straight face. That was the first comment that the voice had said that Otabek was a 100% certain was not pre-recorded. Whoever it was, they were watching him, in real time. Also, they had a passion for insulting him.

Not that Otabek cared too much. He had thick skin. It would take more than this to stop him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Please do not refrain from failing. Thank you very much for failing. Thank you.     
> 
> The Russian is poorly translated, I know. Also, I apparently have all the wit of a ten-year old boy.   
> Thank you for reading anyway!


	9. Onwards

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to post this earlier, but thunderstorms were messing with the wifi.  
> That's what you get for living in the woods. Ants literally everywhere, but I saw two deer the other day!

“Look at what we found!” Victor cried out happily, voice filled with relief.

Makkachin walked past Victor and began sniffing around the area, pawing at one of the cans. Victor was so relieved that he’d found this place. Looking around the storage room he’d just found, there only seemed to be cans of beans. 

Victor knew he should be grateful that he found any food at all, but he did cringe a little at the lack of selection. He’d been hoping that he could find the extra potatoes that he knew where somewhere at Aperture, but those were probably on a higher floor. At least they had something to eat. 

Pulling out the swiss army knife, Victor bent down and took the can Makkachin was trying to bite open. Once he finished opening that up, Victor grabbed a can for himself. 

It was a sad little meal, but it quieted both their stomachs for the time being. Scanning the shelves, there seemed to be enough for the both of them for at least two months, if they rationed properly. Water was still a bit of a concern. There was an leaking pipe that Victor could tap into but it wasn’t efficient to keep going back to that area constantly. He’d set up a bucket of course, and collected several bottles to carry around, but still, the pipe could be fixed, or its flow disrupted.

A while back, Victor had found an old supply closet full of first aid supplies, which had this handy shoulder bag meant for traveling which Victor stuffed with everything he had. He just needed to figure out how he’d fit a few cans of beans in there, too. 

Makkachin was of no assistance whatsoever, but Victor didn’t mind. He was just grateful for the company. Not to mention, the poodle had a much better nose than Victor, which had been extremely helpful in finding places like this. 

Victor’s loneliness bothered him now, even though he had been just as alone before. He supposed it was because his previous isolation was self-induced, wallowing in grief and fear. Not to mention that hallucination of Yuuri kept flitting in and out of existence. Victor hadn’t been able to hold a proper conversation again, yet. 

Victor didn’t know why he bothered. It was just his mind playing tricks on him, he told himself. It wasn’t actually Yuuri. If it was, then it would be a ghost or something like that, and Yuuri’s not dead. He is not dead. 

“You full, Makka?” Victor asked. Makkachin just lolled on the floor, currently content. It was good to rest, even for a little while. Victor was anxious to get going again, but overexertion wouldn’t do any good. Anything could go terribly wrong at any moment, he was all too aware of this fact. 

Victor would have to mark this room, make sure he can find it again. He still had plenty of paint, but his color palette was a tad limited. Then again, that had been far from his primary concern at that moment. It’s amazing what little details escape notice during mortal peril. Being on high alert constantly was quite draining but Victor thought he was doing alright. Besides the lack of sleep, the hallucinations, the fact he really didn’t have a plan- 

“And I thought I worried too much.” Yuuri chuckled. Victor then realized he’d been muttering his worries aloud. 

Yuuri was leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the storage room, looking at Makkachin wistfully. 

“Yuuri…” Victor began to say, but he hesitated. What was he supposed to say? “I- Please, just go. Don’t come back.” 

“What? Vitya, you know I don’t have much of a choice in this. I though you wanted to see me aga-”

Victor cut him off. “I do! That’s why it hurts so much, knowing that you’ll just go away again. You aren’t helping!” 

“I’m sorry!” Yuuri apologized, “I just want to help…” 

“I know, I know.” Victor muttered softly. “I’m just… lost. Literally and figuratively. This place is a maze. And GLaDOS-”

“Shhhh.” Yuuri silenced him. “Listen. Do you hear that?” He put a finger to his lips and pointed upwards. 

Victor tried to listen, wondering what on earth Yuuri was talking about. He could hear Makkachin, pipes dripping, gears grinding, the sounds of machines far off in the distance, and… “Are those turrets?” He strained his ears, focusing on the tinny, high pitched sounds that seemed to come from straight above.

Yuuri nodded. “I think so. So that means…” He prompted. 

“Either the test chambers or the turret production line is straight above us.” Victor answered. “And the production lines lead straight to the chambers, so either way… we should be able to get to the chambers from here. That’s brilliant Yuuri! Let’s go right away!” He stood up quickly, ready to launch himself in action. 

“Victor! Wait a moment!” Yuuri called out. “I thought you were going to mark this place. You’re pretty single minded, aren’t you? Slow down a little, ok?” 

Sweet, reasonable Yuuri. What he was saying was entirely correct. Then again, he could have said that stripping down would make you invisible to the security cameras, and Victor would have initially agreed without hesitation. Then he would realize what Yuuri was actually saying and take it with a grain of salt. Just a small grain. 

“Right, of course.” Victor agreed. He reached into his bag and pulled out his brushes and some paint. Something simple, but eye-catching. 

Victor was grateful for his height in moments like these. It allowed him to paint higher, and therefore bigger. Long sweeping strokes, small careful ones, trying to get the details just right, he loved the sound of the brushes against the concrete, bringing just a little bit of color into this drab and depressing place. 

“What do you think, Yuuri?” Victor asked.

Yuuri smiled back at him. “I think it looks great. Ready to go?” Victor nodded, double checking his bag. Everything seemed to be in order. 

“Come on, Makka.” Victor called out, the poodle following right beside the both of them. 

Victor wasn’t looking forward to all the stairs to get back up to the testing level, but he knew that soon he wouldn’t have the energy to complain about it.

The three of them walked and climbed in relative silence. It wasn’t a bad silence though, just quiet determination. Yuuri was the first to break it. 

“Victor… are you scared? Of what might happen? I just can’t stop worrying. I- I don’t  want anything to happen to you.”

“Of course I’m scared.” Victor admitted. “But this is our chance. I wouldn’t give that up for anything. Something already happened to you. Whatever happens to me is inconsequential.” 

“No! That’s terrible!” Yuuri protested, “You can’t throw yourself away trying to be some brave knight in shining armor! Your princess might be in another castle, or dead entirely!” They both stopped walking at that point. 

“That doesn’t matter to me, you know that!” Victor found himself shouting. “I want to see you again! I want to know what happened to you!”

“What I want is for you to be safe!” Yuuri countered, his voice softening considerably.  “You should get away from here, forget about this place, forget about me…” 

Victor was caught off-guard by the whiplash of this conversation. “Forget about you?! I could never do something like that, Yuuri. You know… me doing this and me surviving are not mutually exclusive. I can do both.” 

“Victor, you know what? When you sound confident like that, I can’t help but believe you. If anyone can do it, it’s you.” Yuuri seemed to have calmed down, so they began to walk again, side by side. 

“You seem to be changing your mind a lot, Yuuri.” Victor said, half teasing, half slightly concerned, “What’s with the mood swings? Are you pregnant or something?” It was an extremely lame joke which Victor immediately regretted. 

Yuuri laughed anyway. “Definitely not, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you did manage to impregnate me somehow. You’re too good-looking for your own good, you know.” He then winked at Victor. 

“Have you seen a mirror?” Victor asked. “Because if anyone’s looks are dangerous, it’s you, Yuuri.” He seriously wondered what he had done to have Yuuri in his life. 

Victor waited for Yuuri to respond, resisting to look at him and failing. Yuuri was blushing profusely, like he did whenever he was complimented. It was such a cute and yet frustrating quirk. It -is- a frustrating quirk. Yuuri never seemed to appreciate himself, despite all of the evidence to the contrary. He stubbornly insisted that he wasn’t as good as people said. 

But Victor knew better. He knew better than anyone what a wonderful person Yuuri is. Yuuri wouldn’t give up, so Victor wouldn’t either. 

“You might have a beautiful body, Yuuri, but that doesn’t compare to the rest of you. You’re so smart, so kind, and you manage to surprise me everyday. You say how lucky you are to have me, but it doesn’t compare to my luck. I don’t deserve you and yet every day you’d gush about my attributes, and I’d gush about yours, it seems unreal. We were happy together. Every day was like living a dream, but it was better since it was our reality. If there’s any chance we can take that back, I think that’s something worth fighting for. We deserve a chance to be happy. We have this chance, and I will take it. It might be selfish, but I can atone for that later, when we’re both safe. You’re alive and so am I, and that’s all I can ever ask for. Right, Yuuri?” 

Yuuri didn’t answer. Victor faltered in his steps a bit. Was that speech a bit much? Victor knew he was a bit over-dramatic, but he meant every word. 

Yuuri was still being silent. Victor looked over, to see what was going on. 

 

Yuuri was gone. 

He was gone again. 

Dammit. 

Victor took a deep breath and trudged on. Makkachin followed diligently, no different than before. 

Victor was fine. Just fine. 

 

 

Victor was not fine. 

He was so not fine he could not express how not fine he was. 

Yuuri had left him again. 

 

Victor was fine with that. He could continue on. He had to. No problem. All he had to do was follow the sounds of turrets, going upwards, straight towards danger, towards answers. 

 

He was fine. 

 

 

 

 

 

He was lying. 

* * *

 

“To reiterate our previous warning: This test- для вас, грубого импульсивного человека, экспериментировать с форвардом* -momentum.”

Again with the Russian. Otabek was fairly certain this was intentional, which struck him as rather odd. 

This wasn’t Aperture’s style. They would have someone in person explain the tests. They wouldn’t tease like this. Not to mention it was too quiet. Aperture was a busy place, with scientists and test subjects running around everywhere. 

It just didn’t feel quite right. Aperture was loud and bold, and the testing was a lot more roundabout and unpolished. Something wasn’t right here. 

But he would worry about that later. He would finish these test chambers first, since they appeared to be the only way to proceed. 

Let’s see… the stairs were too high to climb on, so- Otabek then noticed a security camera on the upper left corner. Without giving it too much thought, he shot a portal at it. 

The camera fell to the ground with a satisfying sound. 

“For your own safety, do not destroy vital testing apparatus.”

Otabek then realized he should have been doing this much earlier. Turning away from his handiwork, he shot the portal on the wall to his right, and hopped through. However, it wasn’t enough to get onto the stairs. 

He then shot the portal below his feet. He fell, the momentum carrying him through the portal, launching him onto the stairs. Otabek landed on his feet, grateful for the Advance Knee Replacements. He had tested with them before so the device was familiar. Otabek vaguely remembered that the scientists were working on a device that would work better, but that was around the time they were testing him less and less. Not to mention he wasn’t really listening to them at the time. 

Otabek walked up the stairs and took in his surroundings. Another blurry glass window up on the right, with no one behind it. What was even the point? The people at Aperture loved to watch the testing, so it was extremely strange that nobody was here now. 

Behind him was an orange portal, in front of him was a wide gap, too large to jump across, and a portable surface at the bottom of the gap, a sharp fall below. He supposed he would have to fall again. The little white tile pictures beneath his feet confirmed that idea. Otabek bent over and shot a portal down at the ground, and he jumped. 

Otabek was flung out of the other portal, speeding through the air, to the other side. It was a thrilling feeling, he had to admit. Like flying down the highway on a motorcycle, the wind flowing through hair, like the going down a hill on a roller coaster kind of feeling. That feeling of speed. 

“You appear to understand how a portal affects forward momentum. It doesn’t.”

Otabek continued onward. The next section was the same basic concept. Portal up top, portal on the ground far below, and free fall. 

“To rephrase: Momentum, a function of mass and velocity, is conserved between portals. If you still don’t understand, in layman’s terms: speedy thing goes in, speedy thing comes out. There is no explanation simpler than that.” 

Otabek continued his tradition of ignoring the voice. He had to do a free fall one more time, and… done. He entered the elevator, waiting to be taken to the next chamber. Otabek knew there was an end in sight. The goal was made explicit. Still, he had a gut feeling that things weren’t going to be that simple. 

After all, he was alone with this voice. A voice that might not even be human. He bristled at the thought. Otabek had no evidence either way, and he was no detective to figure that sort of thing out. 

He continued onwards, like always. Onto the next chamber. 

“The Enrichment Center promises to always provide a safe testing environment.”

Otabek had to resist the urge to laugh. That was the least true statement he had ever heard.

“In dangerous testing environments, the Enrichment Center promises to always provide useful advice.” 

Were they serious? Otabek had more than enough proof to the contrary. The voice did nothing but vaguely guide things and insult him. 

“For instance, the floor here will kill you, so try to avoid it.”

How very funny. They really didn’t think much of his intelligence. It was getting really annoying and grating at this point. 

Otabek tried to focus on the test. He just needed to not die. He promised himself that he could have a nap after this. A nap in the elevator sounded really nice. That voice would probably never shut up though and bug him to keep going. It would probably irritate the voice a lot.  

A nap sounded like a great idea. 

He looked through the glass, taking in every detail he could. The detail that caught his attention most was a familiar looking device in the middle. It looked like another portal gun, shooting off orange portals. The thought of having access to both of them thrilled Otabek. That would make life a lot easier and give him more freedom and possibilities. All still a part of the test, of course. 

. . .

“The Device has been modified so that it can now manufacture two linked portals at once. As part of an optional test protocol, we are pleased to present an amusing fact. The Device is now more valuable than the organs and combined incomes of everyone in [subject hometown here].”

Otabek chose the interpret the last part of that statement as laziness, not even bothering the look up information that Aperture most certainly had on file. They were very thorough about everything. For example, Otabek didn’t know he was one of those people who was not allergic to poison ivy until a test about two weeks after he started participation. 

After that incident, the facility became very in-depth about knowing everyone’s allergies. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. 

But now he had both portals, so all Otabek had to do now was find the exit. After moments later, he reached it, crossing the grid and entering the elevator. He was really looking forward to that nap. 

Otabek had laid there for only about ten seconds when the voice asked,

“What are you doing?” 

 

 

“You’re wasting time. Get up.” 

 

 

 

“Вставай, ты ленивый производитель экскрементов.”**

 

 

 

“We have all the time in the world. Unlike you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I believe Otabek has won Aperture's Sanest Man of the Year award. We'll see if he remains the defending champion....
> 
> *-is for you, a gross impulsive person, to experiment with forward-   
> **Get up, you lazy excrement producer.


	10. Slight Difficulties

Otabek’s back was extremely sore when he awoke. He felt refreshed, which annoyed him greatly. That meant he slept a lot longer than he wanted to. Otabek had only wanted a quick nap to keep him going, he must have been more exhausted than he thought. Who knows how long he actually slept. 

Actually, Otabek was pretty sure that whoever was watching him was probably counting it down to the seconds. They seemed impatient like that. 

He sat up, taking in his surroundings. The elevator had taken him to the next chamber, which was no surprise. What was a surprise however, were the items a few feet away from the elevator. 

Otabek approached them, wary. It didn’t seem like part of the test, and he was an inherently distrustful person. There were three items. A carton of milk, a can of beans, and a potato. 

The voice was silent. Usually by now they would have said something. Otabek didn’t mind that in the slightest. He was still a little groggy from sleep to deal with that at the moment. He still needed to decide if he was going to eat this food or not. 

This opportunity might not happen again in the near future. Otabek opened the carton and took a sniff. The milk wasn’t spoiled so it should be safe enough. He took a long chug. It felt so good, slick and cold running down his throat. Water would’ve been better, but Otabek wasn’t about to complain. That would involve direct communication, and he was solidly against that. 

He had no way to open the can of beans, so he had to leave that alone for now. Otabek supposed he could use the ends of the portal gun to try to pry it open, but he didn’t think that would do any good. After all, a can opener cuts the lid off, and none of the bits of the gun were sharp enough for that. And smashing it open would just result in wasted beans. 

Otabek ripped the potato in half with his hands, and took bites out of it in between large gulps of milk. It was not a substantial meal by any means, but it quieted his stomach and parched his thirst for now. He was not looking forward to it when the food came out the other end. Otabek’s pride could handle that experience again, but it was still repulsive.

That incident is probably why he had been provided with food to begin with. Whoever was in charge, the voice or otherwise, didn’t seem very aware of his needs. The best Otabek could guess was either they were doing this for the first time and didn’t know what they were doing, unaware of all a person’s needs. Or, this thought was the most worrying, none of the test subjects lasted long enough to warrant feeding them. 

A great number of things could have gone wrong for them. That thought disturbed Otabek. Frankly, disturbing was the best word he had for this whole situation. Something just seemed incredibly off. This wasn’t the Aperture he knew. 

“You know what to do. Continue to fling yourself.” 

Otabek ignored the voice as usual and evaluated the situation. The look of the place was starting to wear down on him. It was just so boring, with plain drab colors and sterile lighting. 

It felt like an endless string of tests. Otabek knew it really wasn’t endless, but it was annoying all the same. He wasn’t the type to complain though, so he didn’t.

*’**”***”**’*

Otabek felt the familiar rush of soaring through the air, but then due to physics still having some effect on the world, he twisted in mid-air, throwing him off balance. 

He fell onto the floor, his brain taking a little too long to process what his eyes were seeing. Otabek had been fighting this feeling, but now with food in his stomach, it became overwhelming. He felt sick, dizzy, needing to hurl. 

Stumbling to a corner, the floor swaying underneath him, Otabek began to cough up his meal. 

It tasted far worse coming back up, with the addition of that hot acidic taste that always took too long to go away. Milk was exactly the wrong thing to drink for something like this. He dully wondered if it was intentional, since water is the superior liquid in scenarios like this. Otabek wasn’t particularly vulnerable to motion-sickness, but he wasn’t in the best condition currently. 

He sputtered out the last bits of spittle and bile, and caught his breath. Otabek thought that maybe he should have waited longer for it to digest. And to just be more careful in general. Dehydration could kill a man as easily as a deadly laser. 

“What a waste. Why even bother consuming food if you’re just going to eject it? Both methods are gross and vile.”

Otabek chose the mature response. He turned towards what seemed to be a viewing window and offered a middle finger. 

Thankfully, at that point he was almost done with this particular chamber. He swiftly finished it up, entering the elevator.  

 

Chamber 13. 

Otabek wasn’t a superstitious person, but the number did make him wary. He was way over halfway now, but the tests were now taking far longer. 

“Now that you are in control of both portals, this next test could take a very, very long time. If you become light-headed from thirst, feel free to pass out.”

_ And that would be your fault, you prick.  _

“An intubation associate will be dispatched to revive you with peptic salve and adrenaline. That is if we have an associate lying around somewhere.”

Otabek wasn’t sure if he knew what intubation meant. What he did know is that from what the voice said, there didn’t seem to be that many people here at Aperture for the place to function. Well, it wasn’t his problem currently. 

* * *

 

“Hey, Emil? Are you doing okay?” 

Emil looked up. He had been looking at the same paragraph over and over, taking in less information with every reread. 

“Yeah, I’m doing just fine.” He smiled at his coworker, trying to mask how tired he was. 

Isabella frowned at him, clearly not believing him. Then she glanced down at what he was reading. She curled her lip in distaste. 

“Aperture… Even though you were there, you still want to know more about it?”

Emil frowned. He wasn’t expecting that reaction. “It’s because I was there. The deeper I dig, the more confused I get. It’s certainly a strange sort of place.” 

“That’s a… nice way to phrase it. Have you, well, found out anything?” Isabella asked nervously, tucking her hair behind her ear. 

Emil was about to answer her, but then a familiar voice shouted, “We’re on air in fifteen! Don’t dawdle!” 

“I’d better go.” Isabella said quickly. “We need to talk. How about we meet for dinner? My place? Meet me after the show.” She saw Emil give her a thumbs up and she took off. 

Emil couldn’t blame her. Nobody in the studio wanted to keep Michele waiting. He and Isabella were the main newscasters, so keeping them in the right mood to be on the air was key. It usually wasn’t that hard. All that needed to be done was make sure Jim, or anyone really, didn’t flirt with Sara. 

It had taken quite some time, but Emil was close enough of a friend to the twins that he could interact with Sara without being yelled at by Michele. And he only grumbled half the time when Emil called him Mickey. 

Emil stood up, taking the same path that Isabella had. He wasn’t on the air tonight, but he still had some things to prepare for the next day. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was nervous about going out into the field again. Usually he loved the thrill of borderline dangerous things, but the idea of people being in actual danger unsettled him greatly. Emil was optimistic, of course that there were people that could be saved, but the issue was that they needed saving to begin with. 

The evening passed by in a indistinctive blur for Emil. Nothing occurred that stood out to him. The studio ran like the well-oiled machine it was. 

He wondered why Isabella wanted to bring him to her place. Emil had a funny feeling about that. Not a bad feeling, just odd. Like there was some detail he was forgetting. Emil hoped her fiancé didn’t mind him dropping by on such short notice. 

It felt rude to think about, but he did hope this wouldn’t take too long. Emil wanted to get back into his research. 

*’**”***”**’*

“I’m sorry for the mess.” Isabella apologized, leading Emil to her spotless kitchen. “Do you mind if I just order a pizza? What kind do you want?” 

“I’m fine with whatever, pick something you want.” Emil said, looking around. He’d been here before for a New Year’s party, but it looked a lot different then. With the lights of the party, and the crowd, one could barely see anything.  

The home was a lot larger for having only two occupants, with clearly expensive furniture and knickknacks scattered everywhere, the sort of place one would be afraid to accidently ruin. However, it still looked like a place people actually lived in. Pictures of Isabella and her fiancé were everywhere. Emil racked his brain for his name, but all he could remember was that he was pretty sure it started with ‘j’. 

Isabella pouted playfully. “You’re my guest, you decide. I’m fine with anything. Except those weird vegetarian pizzas that put fresh tomatoes on top. That’s just redundant if you ask me.”

Emil thought about it for a moment. “How about plain, with extra cheese?” Isabella nodded in agreement and made the order.

“Huh, didn’t think you were a Plain Jane.” Isabella mused, “I’d always thought you were a Hawaiian kind of guy.”

“Thought you didn’t like putting fruits on pizzas…” Emil teased. 

Isabella protested, “Tomatoes are different!”

“Technically a fruit, though.” Emil countered.    

“Ugh,” Isabella groaned half-heartedly, “You sound just like JJ. I swear he wanted to reinvent the food pyramid. And don’t get me started on the arguments we had about Canadian bacon.” She gave a soft chuckle at the memory. “‘It’s an American construct and there’s nothing Canadian about it!’” Her impression was spot on and she finished with her arms crossed and hands bent into two js. 

It earned a hearty laugh from Emil, but was cut short when he saw the expression on Isabella’s face darken considerably. She cleared her throat, “We’re not here just have fun, come on, I need to show you something.” 

Emil followed her into a room towards the back. When she opened the door, Emil recognized the site immediately. It reminded him exactly of the table in his own apartment. 

Papers, articles, notes scattered on every available surface, but there was an underlying system, only decipherable to the owner. 

“I’ve been…” Isabella said slowly, “I’ve been investigating Aperture for a while now. There’s nothing. Nothing to pin them down for. They’ve been skating regulations every since the beginning and no investigation is taken seriously because it’s  _ Aperture.  _ Even though they’re no longer printing money their reputation and influence are still top notch. It’s so frustrating.” 

Emil completely emphasized with her. “I’ve only started my search and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”

“Ha. Hamlet’s plights are a tea party with rainbows and unicorns compared to this.” Isabella spat bitterly. 

“They’re hiding something,” Emil stated, “I’m sure of it. Something they are desperate to cover up, using all their resources to do it. I’m not just sure what.” 

“I have a pretty good guess.” Isabella leaned over a grabbed a stack of papers, and handed them over to Emil. 

“‘Test Subject Volunteer Contract’?” Emil read the title, the questioning tone in his voice clear. 

“JJ did a jaunt with them for a week a year back or so. It was part of a celebrity promotion, or something of that sort. They had Olympians, astronauts, etcetera. Then they did it again when the company began going under, and a certain Canadian rockstar signed up again.” Isabella drifted of into a sad sort of silence. 

“And…?” Emil asked, afraid of the answer. 

“He hasn’t come back. He’s still at Aperture. I don’t have that contract, so don’t ask. But take a read through of that one. Read everything.” Isabella’s tone was steely, strained.  

Emil obeyed her instructions. He began to read. The beginning was fairly straightforward stuff, basic ‘don’t sue us if you get hurt, you signed up for this’ legalese. Then he reached the section where the possible risks were listed. That list took up the majority of the contract. It spanned from minor injuries and rashes to vaporization to being slaughtered by mantis men to becoming a mantis man to alien abduction. 

“Is this real? Did Aperture really expect something like ‘in the case of a ghost possessing the subject, the test subject will be arrested on the charges of identity theft, since a ghost cannot be arrested, being legally deceased’? It sounds like a joke.” Emil explained his disbelief. 

Isabella shook her head. “No, it isn’t. Aperture skirts on the edge of absurdity, genius and madness.”

“There’s no question here. This is pure madness. So are you saying… they’ve been doing illegal human experimentation?”

“The legality is the issue. All the stuff I can find is technically legal and I can’t find proof of anything illegal and since the whole place shut down-”

Isabella was cut off by the sound of music. 

~ _ I rule the world~ _

“What is that?” Emil asked, completely surprised. 

“That’s the doorbell.” Isabella sighed. “JJ had it customized to his biggest hit. I love that song, but…” She sighed again in fond exasperation. “Pizza’s here.”

Isabella paid the pizza boy, and began to bring the pizza to her makeshift research room. Emil shook his head and brought up another suggestion. “How about we just eat? No research, no worrying for now. Alright?” 

Reluctantly, Isabella agreed. He could see how tired she truly was. It’s amazing how much a smile and makeup could cover up. 

They both plopped down on the couch in front of the plasma wide screen tv, and started to eat their pizza in silence. 

On a whim, Emil grabbed the remote and began channel surfing. Nothing initially caught his attention, then he reached the channels that played only movies. “Hey,” He asked softly, “Wanna watch Anastasis?”

Isabella shrugged. “Is it any good?” 

“It’s probably my favorite sci-fi movie. Trust me, it’s worth a watch.”

“Sure then.” She agreed, and took another bite of pizza. 

*’**”***”**’*

“Come on! It’s friggin obvious that his brother was a robot!” Isabella protested, half way through her fourth slice of pizza. 

“That’s not the big plot twist.” Emil said knowingly, in that annoying tone that people who have reached the tenth episode of a certain show have when talking to their friends who are only on episode two and doubt that the main couple is actually a thing. 

“Are they in the Matrix?”

“Nah.” 

“Lemme guess, the chick is evil?” She guessed. 

“Nope!” 

“Really? That was the only thing that would make their relationship interesting. They have no chemistry.” 

Emil sighed. “Yeah, the romance is the worst part of the movie. Trust me, it gets worse in that regard.” 

Twenty minutes and four cringe worthy lines later, Emil was proven correct. 

“And I thought love song lyrics were lame.” Isabella deadpanned. “And I speak from experience on that front! One time JJ-”

“Shh.” Emil cut her off. “This is the best fight in the movie.” 

They watched in silence as the protagonists fought tooth and nail, in perfect sync together, adapting to their environment and triumphing over their enemies. Emil randomly remembered a rumor that the stunt doubles actually hooked up after this movie. He wondered if they were still together. His musings were cut off when he caught a glimpse of Isabella. 

She was trying really hard not to cry, trying to keep herself together. Emil nudged her softly. “Are you ok?” He asked, knowing that was a redundant question. 

“No…” She mumbled. “It’s just.... I-I can’t DO ANYTHING!”

Emil quickly tried to reassure her. “You’ve done so much already, you’ve been so strong-”

“IT’S NOT ENOUGH!” She shouted. “I can’t- I can’t just forget about him or get over it or… or… I can’t help him!” 

“And that’s okay.” Emil said, “You’re doing what you can. You’ve been doing this alone for far too long.”

“Yeah… I know,” Isabella sniffled, “I invited you over here because I was so damn lonely. This place is big for two, it’s enormous for just one. I just - I just have two silly wishes.” 

“I bet they aren’t silly. You’re one of the most level-headed people I know.” 

“Yeah, right. You haven’t seen me on the internet. I bash on people who criticize JJ pretty hard. But yeah, first off, I want to punch every person in Aperture and shit on their desks.”

“What?” Emil asked with disgust.

“Not really, but it sounds threatening, doesn’t it? Some girl threatened to do that to me when we announced our engagement.” She giggled, cut off by a cough. “But what I really want- it’s stupid, but, I want to be in the studio in the morning, someone saying ‘And now the morning news with Michele Crispino and Isabella Yang’, and I would cut them off, waving my hand in front of the camera and say, ‘It’s Mrs. Leroy now.’” Isabella began to sob a little, overwhelmed by how lonely she felt. 

Emil leaned forward and hugged her, rubbing her back in no set rhythm. “That’s a very lovely wish. Listen to me. We’ll find the truth. We’ll find JJ. It’ll work out. Trust me.”

Isabella cried softly through the rest of the movie, snuggling close to Emil, glad to have some company. They sat through the scene which currently ranked number 3 for worst makeout scene in a movie, and number 18 for best plot twist in an original movie.

The credits rolled and the pair didn’t feel much desire to move from their spots. They felt very small, up against an unknown foe, an enemy that could only be fought with evidence and proof, things they lacked currently. 

“Emil, thank you.” 

“No need to thank me. You’ve done so much. We’re going to expose Aperture and help everyone who was affected by them. Shake on it?” 

Isabella rolled her eyes. “Fine, let’s make it official.” 

They shook on it, determination shining in both their eyes. 

* * *

 

Victor couldn’t breathe. 

That’s inaccurate. He could breathe, he was breathing quickly heavily and rapidly. It just felt like he couldn’t breathe. 

But it was right there.

Just around the corner were the test chambers. The only thing that separated the two rooms was a stack of cubes. Victor knew they had an official name, but that information eluded him. 

His attention was focused on the fact that the test chambers were. Right. There. 

Everything was on the other side of the wall. Security cameras, turrets, the test subject, … GLaDOS. 

And Yuuri. 

Victor thanked his lucky stars that Makkachin was being so good and quiet. He wasn’t sure where to go from here. From what he could tell, the subject hadn’t reached this chamber yet, and now he knew the general direction of the chambers. 

Going backwards wouldn’t help anything and the only reason for doing that would be to meet with the test subject, which wouldn’t do either of them much good. There was no support Victor could offer to help him survive. Except a cute poodle, and this was a situation where even poodles couldn’t fix everything. 

Still, it seemed like a good place to rest for the moment. Victor was feeling drained, physically and emotionally. He slouched against the wall, and sank to the floor. 

Victor found this position, with concrete on all sides to be extremely uncomfortable. Not to mention the poster in the corner of the room. 

It was a generic one that could be found anywhere in Aperture, depicting a picture of post-test cake. 

There was no cake left in Aperture. There was no point. After testing, the subjects weren’t exactly lining up to eat cake, or anything else really. 

He stared at the poster, wondering why it was annoying him so much. He knew that the subject might not make it to the end. He knew his hopes were fragile and unfounded. He knew there would be no cake at the end of this. 

Turning his back, Victor laid down and tried to get some more sleep. He had to rest whenever he could. 

*’**”***”**’*

Victor’s eyes snapped open. He sat up suddenly, startling Makkachin who had been curled up next to him. 

He didn’t know what woke him up from his sleep. Victor was pretty sure he hadn’t been dreaming. Then again, he barely remembered it whenever he dreamt. 

All he knew what his heart was pounding and he needed to move around. Victor knew this feeling, and keeping active, keeping his mind occupied was the best way to quash this feeling. 

He paced the room, not thinking about- thinking about where he proceed from here- should he follow the chambers or try to find- thinking about something else- any things else other than- 

_ I miss Yuuri, I hope he comes back.  _

_ No.  _

_ It’s just a hallucination. Just a result of the neurotoxin or something.  _

_ He’s been gone a long time! I can survive just a bit longer. Nothing’s different. I can cope. I’m fine.  _

Victor was very experienced in lying to himself. Didn’t mean he was good at it. 

The cake poster caught his attention again. It infuriated him. It promised a reward, a successful outcome. 

He was overwhelmed by the possibilities. Victor just couldn’t stop thinking of the million ways this could end. 

The test subject could die.

Victor could die. 

Yuuri might already be dead. 

_ NO! _

Victor tried to banish such thoughts, but they consumed him. It felt like he was drowning, gasping for some air, some relief, but choking water flooding in instead. 

He reached into his bag for paint and brushes. He didn’t know what he was going to paint, and Victor didn’t find those details to be particularly relevant. 

He just needed that voice, his own voice, to just stop. Victor was tired of thinking. 

 

 

Victor froze, mid-stroke. He had been painting the fixture of his obsession, which of course he knew every inch of, inside and out. 

But one detail eluded him. Something Victor couldn’t recall. 

He couldn’t remember what color Yuuri’s glasses were. 

This is a simple detail he should know. Were they black? Were they blue? Were they brown? Victor took a deep breath trying to think it through.   

Yuuri had gotten new frames shortly after they met, but Victor couldn’t remember the initial pair either. He was fairly certain they were either black or blue. 

Black and blue. Victor was fairly certain if anyone ripped out his heart it would be black and blue from the beating it received from Aperture. Perhaps he was being melodramatic. 

Perhaps he was obsessing too hard over this one detail. 

Perhaps Victor was starting to lose his mind. 

Perhaps he was forgetting what was most important to him. 

That thought scared him more than anything. Forgetting anything about Yuuri was frightening. 

Victor was going to save Yuuri. That he was sure of. 

Despite his conviction, the answer to the question of Yuuri’s frames did not appear. Victor had no idea. His desperation was probably clouding his thinking. 

In his frustration, Victor threw the containers of blue and black paint at the wall, splattering the colors everywhere. 

Taking a step back, he looked at his handiwork. Even with the mess of his recent tantrum, the image he had tried to depict was still clear, a simple picture of Yuuri sleeping. Victor was fairly certain he had gotten the hair just right. 

By the poster, Victor had written “the cake is a lie”, because that’s what it was. A lie. There was no cake. 

A fact he had written five times, apparently. Victor thought he had only done it once. 

_ Am I actually beginning to forget things? _

Victor was beginning to feel even more distraught than before. 

He wasn’t going crazy. 

He was just tired.

And stressed. 

Lack of nutrition.

And human company.

Yeah, that was it. 

Just in case though… 

Victor wrote one last message in this particular room. Someone else might find it, after all.

_ Help is here, just wait.  _

_ \- VN & YK  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I nominate Isabella Yang for best girlfriend of the year. 
> 
> I'm so sorry for the delay, and thank you for reading!


	11. Interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is something a little different... but I hope you enjoy!

_Some time ago..._

“Chris, no.”

“Chris, yes,” Chris said, smirking, “Come on, aren’t you curious? Besides, have the cards ever let us down? I think not.”

Victor rolled his eyes in fond exasperation. “Fine.” He never believed in superstitious things like this, but he and Chris did have fun messing around with it.

“Trust me,” Chris assured Victor, shuffling the deck, “I know what I’m doing with one. I’ve done these two spreads a million times with Georgi. Poor chap.”

Georgi’s disastrous love life was infamous to all who knew him, and no divination could provide any illumination.  

“Alright, and since we’re friends, you only have to pay half of the regular fee.”

Victor raised an eyebrow. “The regular fee is me buying you a drink. How am I supposed to give you half a drink?”

“I guess you can’t. What a shame.” Chris said, obviously insincere. He waved for the bartender. “Lovely mademoiselle, I’ll have a Manhattan, and put it on his tab.” He winked at her for good measure.

“Oh, stop it you.” She said, clearly not wanting Chris to stop. “And what about you?” She asked Victor, “White Russian?”

Victor only response to that old and tired joke was to sigh. “I’m still working on my current drink, Minako.” Chris still found the joke hilarious and was chuckling.

 Minako then spotted Chris shuffling his deck. “You doing a reading? Can you tell me why I’m still single?”

“I’m sorry, mon cher, but this evening we’ll be peering into poor Victor’s love life.” Chris answered.

“Oh, I didn’t know that tarot had a card that meant ‘overdramatic pining’,” Minako teased.

“I’m not being overdramatic!” Victor protested. “Back me up, Chris!”

Chris was too busy wiping tears of laughter from his eyes to be of much help. “Victor, we’ve all seen you mope around all day at work. I think that qualifies as pining. And everything you do is overdramatic, so yeah, overdramatic pining.”

“You’re awful.” Victor told his friend.

Chris grinned, “You still love me anyway. But not as much as you love _Yuuuuuuurrrrriiii!_ ”

Minako laughed at Chris’ exaggerated but accurate impression of Victor. Victor elected to ignore them and took another sip of his drink.

“Are we doing the reading or not?” Victor asked, trying to change the subject.

Chris had to catch his breath, but nodded. “Alright, alright.” He picked up his deck and gave it one last shuffle, then spread the cards out in front of Victor. “Pick three cards and put them on the table.”

Victor did so, picking the cards randomly, laying them out into a straight line.

“So, first spread. Simple stuff,” Chris began to explain. “First card is your relationship currently, second card is the near future, and third card is the far future.”

Chris turned over the first card. “An upright Ace of Wands. That’s a good sign. It’s a sign of inspiration, passion and potential. A kind of ‘go for it!’ kind of attitude. You inspire each other, open each other up to new opportunities and encourage each other. But there’s a hesitance on how to proceed next, how to prepare for the long term.”

Victor had to admit, that Chris had a gift for this sort of thing. Smooth talking vague meanings and making it sound special and personally significant. He was pretty sure that even if Death popped up, Chris would find a way to spin it into a positive. This whole process was just a roundabout way of asking Chris for his advice and opinion, anyway.

See, Victor had a plan. Yuuri was out of town for the next two weeks, something about a overseas expansion of Aperture, who knows if that would actually come to fruition. It was the perfect time for Victor to evaluate if this was to right time to properly ask Yuuri out. He had only been gone for a week now, and Victor missed him a lot. They’ve known each other long enough, Victor thought. It’s about time they made it official.

“Now for the near future,” Chris continued, “Let’s see… upright Two of Cups. Oh, man. Dude.”

“What?” Victor asked.

“This is probably the second best card you could have gotten.” Chris was staring in awe. Yes, the cards sometimes had convenient meanings, but this was perfect.

“Second best? What’s first?” Victor asked then actually considered what he was saying. “Oh, Lovers, duh.”

“This is like Diet Lovers. Lovers Lite. Union, mutual respect and harmony. Inspirational and mutually fulfilling. A partnership, a beautiful start to a new love.”

“You’re kidding, or at least exaggerating. It doesn’t mean all that, does it?” Victor asked, trying not to get too hopeful.

Chris nodded. “That’s exactly what it means. At least, in a romantic context, which it is. Sounds like you have a chance after all. I think the cards are saying ‘hurry up and ask him out already’.

“Chris, I think you’re the one saying it. I just really don’t want to screw this up. Do the last one.”

Flipping over the last card with a flourish, Chris prepared an eloquent response to what he was presented. “Ah, the Moon, upright. Let’s see… hmm.... In time, there will be a period of uncertainty, one or both of you hiding your desires or needs deep down, worries and anxieties plaguing the relationship. You need to look past that, to be aware of yourself and face those fears and truths. It’s a time where both of you need to be honest with each other.”  

“...” Victor didn’t know quite how to respond to that. “How far in the future is this?”

Chris frowned slightly. “These sorts of things are intentionally vague, you know? But I’d say at least a year or so. Ready for the next spread?”

Victor nodded, already feeling more confident. Should he get two dozen roses, or three? And just red would be a bit boring… maybe blue ones, for that special touch.

“Next one’s more tricky.” Chris once again spread the cards out to Victor, “Think about yourself, what you bring to the relationship, and pick three cards.” Victor did so, and placed them to his right. “No, no,” Chris corrected him, “Put them on the left. Now, think about Yuuri and what he would add to the relationship, take three, and put those on the right.”

“Good. Now, think about what you two have, and take one card. This card will give advice on how to improve it. Probably the most important one in the spread. Put that right in the center.”

Victor complied, curious at what ‘truths’ Chris would wrest.

“So, starting with you,” Chris flipped the three cards over at once. “Ace of Swords, reversed Knight of Swords, and the Fool. Starting with the knight, impatient, impulsive, and full of energy. Unpredictable, I’d say that’s you in a nutshell, just something to be aware of. Now, upright Ace of Swords, means great power and potential, new inspiration, ready to head forth to tackle something new. It’s a promise of victory. Last is the Fool, the epitome of potential and new beginnings. It’s the beginning, a time of creativity and the start of a journey, new experiences, adventure, to take a leap of faith. It can also mean innocence, but I don’t think that quite applies to you, my friend.”

Victor had been nodding along as Chris explained the cards. He wasn’t innocent by any means, but he was inexperienced in matters of the heart. It was a bit unsettling how on-point the cards seemed to be. Then again, it was always the case whenever Chris did it. Whenever Victor tried it, he scrambled to scrape any sort of meaning from the seemingly random cards.

“Now, sweet, cute Yuuri,” Chris purred, turning those cards over, “Strength, Nine of Swords, and reverse Queen of Cups. Interesting. Strength is pretty self-explanatory, but it’s more referring to inner strength, determination. It also suggests compassion, and self-control, and a balance of instinct and rationality. That seems to compliment your Knight quite well… Next is the Nine of Swords. Tssk. Never a good sign. Fear, nightmares, anxiety, worry, but all self-induced. Something that keeps you up at night. The last one isn’t so positive either, reverse Queen of Cups. It typically refers to some type of emotional problem, whether it’s keeping them in check, bottling them up, mood swings, or co-dependency. But knowing Yuuri, I think this is more about him keeping things to himself, trying to tackle his problems alone. Letting problems stew until they boil over, what do you think?”

Victor mulled it over, “I don’t know all the interpretations, but I like that meaning the best.”

“Now! The card that ties it all together,,” Chris flipped it over extra dramatically, “And it’s the Hanged Man. Hmm.... it means a need for a change in perspective, a willing sacrifice for a greater good. That’s… huh. Wait! I got it! It’s just saying that a starting a romantic relationship will take a lot of investment from both of you, it’s a big commitment, you know.”

“That’s a bit underwhelming, and quite normal advice coming from you, Chris.”

“It’s not me, it’s the cards.” Chris winked.

Victor took another drink. “Sure. Whatever you say. I just… what if he doesn’t feel the same? What if it doesn’t work out?”

From the other end of the bar, the pair heard a bark of laughter. Minako was attending to another customer, trying to eavesdrop on them. “Trust me,” She called across the bar, “Yuuri is more than just a little interested.”

“What makes you so sure?” Victor asked, his voice a little louder than necessary.

Minako walked back over to them, so she didn’t have to shout. “I have these two things called ‘eyes’. You should try using them sometime, besides for looking pretty.”

“But that’s the only thing Victor has going for him!” Chris exclaimed, eyes full of playful mirth. “If he wasn’t so pretty, They would have fired him ages ago! Or threw him in with the test subjects! And Victor, orange just isn’t your color.”

“Don’t even get me started,” Victor started, “It’s bad enough that orange is the official color of Aperture, but they pick the worst shades of it! I swear they do it on purpose! Even the tests subjects don’t deserve a color this horrible! It looks like a prison uniform!”

“I believe I’ve heard you talk about this several times.” Chris said, but still agreeing with him on that matter.

“Well, you’re hearing it again. Marketing has no idea what they’re doing, I swear.”

“Hey, at least the boss’s kid isn’t in charge. Imagine it. Tiger print everywhere.” Victor groaned at that prospect. “Not just tiger print,” Chris continued, “Purple leopard print. Imagine that.”

“I think I need another drink before I can even begin to contemplate that. You couldn’t even pull off purple cat print.”

Chris gasped in fake offense. “Is that a challenge? Because I am totally willing to prove you wrong.”

Victor chuckled, “I believe you on that.”

“You know… how about this. You finally ask Yuuri out, and I’ll find and wear something hideous, purple, and cat related. Is that enough incentive for you?”

“Chris, no.”

“Chris, yes.”

* * *

_A few months later..._  

“This man has been one of the keystones in the foundation of this company since the very beginning. It is with a heavy heart that we have to give a final welcome to our very own Dr. Feltsman!”

The crowd applauded politely as Yakov Feltsman walked onto the stage, his fedora covering his balding head. He stepped in front of the microphone and began to speak.

“Thank you. When I first announced my retirement, the CEO sent me a memo begging me to reconsider. A moment later, I sent my reply, ‘No’. But in that moment, I hesitated. I thought about all my years here, all the up and downs. I thought about everything I loved about working here, all the people I met and worked with over the years. But then I remembered, I am way to old for this shit.” That remark sparked a laugh in the audience.

“But I believe in Aperture. I know for a fact that the people here can take Aperture to new heights and lead us far into the future, and I’m honored to have been a part of it. Thank you.” It was a short speech, but it was met with thunderous applause. Yakov was a beloved member of Aperture and his presence was going to be sorely missed.

But this night was a celebration of all he had accomplished, and a great excuse to throw an official party. Aperture was not a place that skimped out on the pleasures in life. The buffet was a thing of beauty, a small group was hovering by the chocolate fountain, some people were hitting the dance floor, while everyone else had already congregation into their small groups, clustered throughout.

Victor raised his glass of champagne, clanging a spoon against it, trying to capture as much attention as possible.

“Victor!” Yuuri whispered, “What are you doing?”

Victor winked at him, “Relax, I’m just making a small announcement.” Yuuri groaned, turning red, putting his face in his hands. When he was sure he had enough attention, Victor raised his voice.

“Everyone! Yuuri and I have some exciting news! We’re moving in together this weekend and we’ll be having a housewarming party!” Not everyone had heard him over the music, but ones who did clapped and nodded approvingly. Yuuri was still a bit embarrassed.

“Ugh.” Someone groaned. “You two just love the spotlight, don’t you?”

Victor turned around to see who had said that and replied, “It’s just that everyone was here already, so I thought this would be a good chance to tell them!”

The blond teenager just rolled his eyes. “Go be gross lovebirds somewhere else.”

“Like our new apartment?” Victor retorted, grinning.

“Damn. Walked right into that one.”

Seung-Gil walked over to the group, muttering to himself, “So… spring in about two years, I’ll have to keep my schedule open.”

“What?” Yuuri asked, not understand what he was talking about.

“Based on the rate things are going, you two will be married about two years’ time. And you seem like spring wedding people.”

Yuuri continued to be red, blushing furiously. “W-well, it’s way too early to be talking about something like marriage…”  

“But I’m your best man, right Victor?” Chris piped up.

“When did you get here?” Yuuri asked.

Chris ignored the question, asking Yuuri one of his own, “Who’s your best man? We need to start coordinating. I’m thinking a blue and lavender color scheme, flowers everywhere...”

“Chris! Stop!” Yuuri protested. “That’s- well,” The next part was a mumble that could be barely heard, “I was thinking a winter theme, though….”

“What was that, Yuuri?” Victor asked, “Did I hear something? Were you actually thinking about our wedding? That’s so cute! Don’t worry, I’ve been thinking about it too!” He continued to tease.

“Stop it! The both of you!” Yuuri was smiling despite himself.

* * *

 

_Aperture Employee Test Subject Rotation Schedule_

 

  1. __Seung-Gil *__

  2. __Sigma Klim__
  3. __Georgi Popovitch *__
  4. __Victor Nikiforov*__
  5. __Yuuri Katsuki *__
  6. __Carlos Palmer *__
  7. __Yuuko Nishigori *__
  8. __Kyle Klim__



 

_._

_._

_._

_._

_* Eligible for Core Transfer_

 

  1. __Sigma Klim__
  2. __Georgi Popovitch *__
  3. __Victor Nikiforov *__
  4. __Yuuri Katsuki *__
  5. __Carlos Palmer *__
  6. __Yuuko Nishigori *__
  7. __Kyle Klim__



 

_._

_._

_._

_._

  1. _Seung-Gil *_



_* Eligible for Core Transfer_

 

  1. __Georgi Popovitch *__
  2. __Victor Nikiforov *__
  3. __Yuuri Katsuki *__
  4. __Carlos Palmer *__
  5. __Yuuko Nishigori *__
  6. __Kyle Klim__



 

_._

_._

_._

_._

  1. _Seung-Gil *_



_*Eligible for Core Transfer_

**_Sigma Klim is Ineligible for Testing_ **

**** **_Authorized by Caroline Johnson_ **

**** **_Reason: His old age makes him a liability. Also, he got locked in a time paradox._ **

 

  1. __Yuuri Katsuki *__
  2. __Carlos Palmer *__
  3. __Yuuko Nishigori *__
  4. __Kyle Klim__



 

_._

_._

_._

_._

  1. _Seung-Gil *_
  2. _Georgi Popovitch *_



_* Eligible for Core Transfer_

**_Victor Nikiforov is Ineligible for Testing_ **

**** **_Victor Nikiforov is Ineligible for Core Transfer_ **

**** **_Authorized by Yuuri Katsuki_ **

**** **_Reason:_ **

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had way too much fun with the tarot section, finding spreads and just the right cards for all that symbolism. My only additional notes is that while the meanings are pretty accurate, the lens that Chris sees them through and the lens that I see them through a quite a bit different in some places. I do wonder what perspective a reader might have with them... anyway, thank you for reading!


	12. Progress

Emil was a tad jealous of Isabella. Ever since they started working together, the amount of progress they made compared to Emil’s initial paltry efforts was staggering. It made sense. Isabella had been working on this longer, had more information, more connections, but this latest development was a tad ridiculous. 

In preparation for his visit to Aperture, the news station had been looking for extra interviews before the day arrived. Mostly they just wanted filler material and to garner interest beforehand. Literally no one had been available. Emil wasn’t a part of those proceedings so that particular strangeness had escaped his notice. The majority of those contacted hadn’t even replied back in any capacity. 

But somehow Isabella had managed to wrangle an interview. And the pair were now awkwardly sitting in Emil’s car together, half an hour early. 

“How did you get him to change his mind?” Emil asked.

She shook her head. “I didn’t do anything. From his tone, I think he had already changed his mind.”   

“Oh.” Emil fidgeted, wondering what to do for the next half hour. He turned towards his partner to ask her a question, any question, but she had already pulled out her phone, playing some app or other. 

Emil pulled his phone out and began to do the same. The thirty minutes still dragged on and on. He supposed it was because he nervous. What would they learn? Would they learn anything new? 

Finally the waiting time was over and it was socially acceptable for the pair to head inside the cafe. They spotted the man they were supposed to meet with right away. He was sitting at a small table, close to the door. 

“You’re late.” He grumbled. 

Emil glanced at his phone. “We’re five minutes early… I don’t think that’s late…” 

The older man’s scowl deepened. “You should be at least fifteen minutes early for any meet up in case someone gets lost.” He sighed, as if remembering a very specific situation. 

Neither of them had the guts to admit they had been sitting outside for twice that amount of time. Isabella was the one who picked up the conversation to its proper train of thought. 

“Dr. Feltsman, thank you for meeting with us today. Do you mind if we record this interview?” She asked, smoothly pulling out a tape recorder. 

“Yes I mind. No audio, and no video. And put away that laptop.” Isabella slowly put the laptop that she was beginning to grab back in the bag, taking out an old battered notebook instead. 

“Can I get you anything to drink?” Emil asked, “It’s on us.”

Feltsman considered the offer. “Fine. Café au lait.” 

“Hey, Emil, can you get me an espresso? No, a mocha. No, americano. No, mocha. Definitely a mocha.”

Emil nodded, and got in line. It wasn’t much of a line, there was only one other person in front of him, but it gave him time to think about what he wanted. Also, to listen in on what Isabella was saying behind him. 

“I know you said you wanted this conversation to be completely private and off the record, but I propose this. Afterwards, I will send you our notes and you can cherry-pick what can and can’t be released to the public. And of course, it will be completely anonymous. Does that seem fair to you?”

Emil paused. He hadn’t thought about it. He hadn’t thought of what they were going to do with the information once they got ahold of it. He’d been so caught up in the process of actually trying to find anything useful. 

“Sir? Your order?” The barista asked, jerking Emil out of his thought process. 

“Oh, right. Café au lait, a mocha, and… hot tea, please.” Emil ordered. The barista asked him more questions, something about sizes, maybe, but Emil was straining his ears to hear Feltsman’s reply.

“There’s no point. Aperture is dead. Take all the details you want. But leave my name out of it.” 

“You say Aperture is dead. What makes you say so, and when did it die?” Isabella asked, wasting no time. Emil felt a bit put out, feeling like an errand boy. 

“It’d been crawling along, dragging itself towards oblivion for a very long time now. As for the actual point of death, that’s obvious. Your friend over there saw it, didn’t he? Anything they had left at that point collapsed.”

Isabella plowed on, “The CEO was known as a very eccentric figure who made questionable business decisions. Do you think that contributed to Aperture’s demise, both from a financial and public standpoint?” 

“Do I think he contributed?” Feltsman raised an eyebrow. “You need to understand. He was Aperture. He was the cause of everything.”

By this point, the drinks were finished and Emil brought them over to the table. He pulled out his own notebook, ready to contribute to the conversation. 

“So,” Emil began, “Would you say his death began the decline of Aperture? Didn’t the company have a plan in case of his demise or any other sort of accident?”   

At that question, Yakov Feltsman began to laugh. It wasn’t a cheerful laugh, it was a hollow, ironic laugh. “We all knew he was dying. Of course Aperture had a plan. Aperture had a plan for everything. And that was the problem.”

“Do you mind elaborating on what you mean by that?” Isabella asked. 

“It’s no secret by now, but Aperture did things differently. ‘Stay ahead of the competition’, they said. They just had a bone to pick with Black Mesa. Not to mention the higher ups were absolutely insane.” Feltsman grumbled. “Aperture always walked in the moral and legal gray ground, but then they took things too far. I was retired before that all happened, but I was still kept in the know for some of it.” 

“What can you tell us about what they did? We know there are some disappearances possibly connected to Aperture, but nothing concrete.” Isabella continued. 

“Disappearances? That’s low hanging fruit. If you aren’t going to ask any good questions, I’ll ask a couple of my own. You,” Feltsman pointed at Emil, “When you were there, who did you see? Who’s still there?”

Emil tried to think back. It was frustrating, because he wasn’t paying a lot of attention at the time. He didn’t think it would have been so important at the time. The only people he remembered distinctly was Dr. Nishigori and the silver-haired man. He told Feltsman this. 

“Victor’s still around, eh? And Yuuko… she’s a good woman. Can’t believe she brought her kids. Can’t believe any of them brought their kids. Madness. Utter madness.” 

“Do you think there are any survivors?” Isabella asked. “Do you think they can survive in that facility?”

“If I’m speaking frankly, it’s a coin toss. There’s enough supplies for everyone, max capacity, to survive three world wars and the nuclear winters afterwards. However, the priority there isn’t to survive. The priority is to test. To get results. Learn what people can and can’t do. Anything goes as long as it’s justified within those sorts of parameters.”

“That’s horrible!” Isabella slammed the table, almost spilling their drinks. “These are people’s lives we’re talking about! There’s a reason why human testing is generally regarded as unethical! Didn’t anyone object? How could they just stand to the side and not say anything?!”

Feltsman sighed, his wrinkled face seemingly aging even more, as if thinking very bitter and unpleasant thoughts. “Human testing was considered the ethical solution. Don’t ask me about the convoluted reasoning that led to that conclusion. And of course people objected. But everyone had their reasons for keeping quiet. Back in the day, Aperture had a lot of power. It’s a hard thing to stand up for what’s right when you think you’re standing alone. Not many people are brave enough to do that.”

“But still!” Isabella protested. “I’ve read those contracts! The things they did were dangerous! People could have gotten killed. There’s-” 

“Let me correct you.” Feltsman interrupted her, “People  _ have _ gotten killed.”

Emil’s stomach dropped at that statement. It wasn’t anything new, he and Isabella had discussed it as a very distinct possibility, but it was quite another thing to have it confirmed.

“But we’ve looked into it!” Isabella yelled. “Why isn’t there any proof? And I’m sorry, but your word isn’t enough for something like this! Why haven’t we heard about people going missing?” 

“Why haven’t we heard anything about your fiancé recently, Ms. Yang?” Dr. Feltsman shot back. “I imagine the reasoning is quite similar to your own.” 

Isabella paused for a moment, taking deep breaths. She had promised herself that she wouldn’t get riled up, but she was just so tired. She just wanted this to be over. She wanted answers, and then… who knows what she would do next, just she had to get there. 

Emil intervened, trying to bring down the tension. “Is there any place you would recommend looking, or someone else to talk to? Just anything more would be helpful.”

Feltsman sighed again, “I get what you’re trying to do, I understand. But, you really should just let it die. There’s nothing left for you to find, and even if there was, it won’t do anyone any good.”

“That’s nonsense! What about the truth? People deserve to know the truth, to get some closure! And what about the people still trapped there?” Emil wasn’t the type to give up, or wallow in despair.

“Truth won’t get these people back. You’re just satisfying your own curiosity. I would tell you to talk to Mila, but she was one of the first to go after…” Feltsman drifted off. “I do want to help, so I’ll tell you this last thing. Aperture burns all its trash in these series of giant incinerators, but they had a tendency to break and people rarely bothered to fix them. Point being, just outside the main facility, there’s an Aperture exclusive garbage dump. It’s still on lockdown, like everything else, but there’s a lot less security. That’s your best chance to find anything.” 

“I see.” Isabella got up suddenly. “Thank you for your time. We’ll stay in contact.” She grabbed her drink and walked out of the cafe as quickly as she could.

“Wha-? Isabella, wait!” Emil called after her, but she didn’t even turn around. He turned back to Feltsman, unsure of what to say, “Um… I’m sorry about that… I don’t know-” 

“It’s alright.” Feltsman replied, “As she said, we’ll talk later. I know I should try to change your minds. I know for a fact that you won’t like what you’ll find. But… I’m tired, I’ve done my grieving. I wish you both the best of luck, and my condolences.”

It was clear the conversation was over. Emil got up and left, surprised to see that Isabella hadn’t left yet, still sitting in the car waiting for him. 

As soon as he got in, she hit the gas and sped off.

“You ready?” Isabella asked, her voice serious.

“What?! No!” Emil protested, “We can’t just go right now! We need to plan! Prepare! And….” He desperately tried to think of a good reason, “I left my tea back there!” 

There was a small silence to appreciate how weak that reasoning was. 

“I’m done waiting.”

* * *

 

It was time to leave. The more time Victor and Makkachin spent here, the greater the chances of them getting caught. 

“Come on, Makka,” Victor called softly, “Let’s go.” 

Makkachin whined, clearly still hungry. Victor sighed in understanding, he was also tiring of their diet of beans. 

Victor wasn’t sure why or how the next thought occurred to him, but he was glad it did. “You know else is probably hungry?” He muttered to Makkachin, “The test subject, so let’s leave something for him. I doubt they’re feeding him.” Victor opened up a can of beans and placed a bottle of water next to it. It wasn’t much, but it was the least he could do. After all, it was Victor’s fault he was in this situation to begin with. 

“No, Makka, those aren’t for you,” Victor chastised. The pair then left the little room, pressing onwards. Victor had thought about going back down to grab more supplies, but he decided that would waste too much time. 

They walked on, footsteps extremely loud in the silence. Victor tired to think of something productive, positive, something to keep the spiral of depressive thoughts at bay. 

Victor thought about how he and Yuuri would burn this god-forsaken place to the ground, smashing every bit of technology with hammers, reuniting with their friends and loved ones, apologizing for causing them to worry so much, looking for new jobs together, not having to worry about mortal danger constantly, just being together. They probably could take Makkachin home with them. 

Those were extremely nice thoughts, but Victor had to acknowledge what there were. Wishes. Wishes for a potential future, the miraculous best case scenario. 

He wanted it though. Victor wanted those dreams to come true, he  _ needed  _ them to.

Makkachin suddenly dashed forward, and turned right. Victor quickly followed, “What did you find?” He saw that the poodle was trying to wriggle through a small gap, leading into a larger area. 

There was a larger gap that Makkachin could’ve gone through that would have been easier, but Victor went through there instead. The room on the other side was another cubby-hole, with a test chamber on the other side. It seemed like a strange thing to have, an extra chamber that wasn’t a part of the test. But Victor wasn’t about to start questioning it. 

The place was barren, except for a lone smooth white security camera. On instinct, Victor threw the heaviest item he had at it. The can of beans hit the camera, knocking it to the ground where it shattered. 

Victor picked up the beans, which were still intact, just a bit dented. In a fit of petty rage, he kicked the camera for good measure, but Victor knew it was no good. They knew he was here. 

It was in that moment that Victor comprehended how alone he was. Makkachin was just a dog, he couldn’t communicate with the test subject, GLaDOS was the enemy, and… and the goddamn hallucination.

He needed to talk to someone, to tell someone how he felt, and for them to say something back to him. Victor felt isolated, but there was no privacy here. The walls have eyes and ears, always watching. Aperture never sleeps.

Rummaging through his bag, Victor put the beans back inside, they were the last can he had, and he had to make it last. He pulled out the paints and brushes. It wasn’t a productive use of his time, but Victor found the activity to be the best way to express himself in this nightmare. 

He took the words out of his body and threw them at the wall.

 

_ Where are you? Why did they take you away? _

_ I thought this would last forever, I was wrong. _

_ Why? You don’t deserve this. _

_ They took my angel away.  _

_ Not out of cruelty. _

_ Not out of wrath.  _

_ Why? _

_ It should have been me.  _

_ I would have volunteered.  _

_ I will find you.  _

_ We will survive. _

_ We will live. _

__

After finishing up, Victor didn’t feel much better. By writing it down, he had made everything much more real. There was proof of his struggle, it wasn’t just in his head anymore. 

Victor was too tired to rest, if he stopped now he wasn’t sure if he be able to get up again. He might just give up and collapse in a heap of dread and regret. 

“Makka, we need to go.” Makkachin whined, but complied. Victor bent down and petted Makkachin. “I know, I know. You’ve been so good.”

Victor’s soles protested against walking again, but he ignored the pain in his feet. 

He had to be getting close. 

*’**”***”**’*

Victor couldn’t feel his legs. He’d been walking for hours. Just a little bit farther… 

“What’s the plan?” Yuuri asked. 

A small smile spread across Victor’s face, “Thought you already knew. Keep walking and reach GLaDOS.”

“Yeah, but what about when you get there? Shut GLaDOS down? Cut of the electricity for the facility? Destroy the whole place with the self-destruct button?” Yuuri’s brow furrowed, trying to think of a better plan than whatever Victor had in mind. 

Victor raised an eyebrow at the last suggestion. “There’s a self-destruct button?” 

Yuuri shrugged, “Wouldn’t surprise me if there was. But still, we don’t know what’s on the other side of these test chambers. What kind of security there is.”

“I know you’re going to lecture me for this, but I was just going to wing it, based on what I find.” Victor continued before Yuuri could interject, “But the main idea is to stop GLaDOS, how, I’m not sure, but it’ll be easier to find a way out without the computer in charge of everything trying to kill us.”

“And the test subject?”

“Well, I’m pretty sure he’s still alive right now. And if he’s lasted this far, he’ll probably be fine. He can help us escape once GLaDOS is out of the picture.” 

It was Yuuri’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “What makes you so sure that he’s still alive? And do you think he’ll want to help once he puts two and two together? The fact you used him as a distraction?”

Victor sighed. “I am not using him just as a distraction. As for your other question, you saw the test chambers. He hasn’t been through those yet, and nothing’s been sent after us yet, which means GLaDOS is still occupied with him,” he explained. 

“That seems like pretty solid reasoning to me, Sherlock.” Yuuri said, smiling.

“Does that make Makkachin my Watson?” Victor joked. 

Yuuri chuckled softly, “Where does that leave me then?”

“Hmm…” Victor considered this for a moment, “You would be the seductive Irene Adler, the only one who could keep up with me.” 

“Victor…” Yuuri whined, “Don’t tease me like that. You know I’m not seductive.”

“You so sure about that? There is plenty of evidence otherwise. Would you like me to show you?” Victor purred, trying to coax him. 

“Not now!” Yuuri protested, “Isn’t there something you’re forgetting about?” 

Victor mused, “I don’t think so. I’d say the plan’s pretty simple. Beat GLaDOS, grab the test subject, and escape.” 

“You’re forgetting something.”

“Oh!” Victor exclaimed, “Then we’ll torch this place to the ground and I will properly propose to you in the ashes.” He then dropped his voice to a teasing whisper, “But that last part’s a secret.”

“Victor…” Yuuri rolled his eyes in fond exasperation, then his expression turned serious again, “I’m serious, though. You’re forgetting something really important.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Yuuri. We-” Victor was interrupted by Makkachin barking at Yuuri. “Makkachin, stop that. We need to keep quiet.”

“I- I… No, it’s fine, it’s nothing important.” Yuuri backtracked. Victor knew that look. Yuuri was hiding something, that was for sure. 

“Yuuri…” Victor began but Yuuri shook his head. 

“Just drop it, Victor. We have more important things to take care of.” Victor could’ve sworn Yuuri sounded quite sad with that last sentence. Victor loved Yuuri, but they both had a terrible habit of keeping problems to themselves, and Yuuri was especially passive-aggressive about it.

They walked in silence for a bit after that, Victor trying to rack his brain. What on earth was he forgetting? And Makkachin was acting oddly too, staying extremely close to Victor and growling at Yuuri occasionally. 

Thankfully, Victor didn’t have to come with a conversation starter when a new opportunity arose. “Look! There’s another hidden room. We can rest there for a bit.” 

“Alright.” Yuuri agreed, but he still looked a bit miffed. 

They entered the small chamber, Victor curling up into a corner, Makkachin right next to him, and Yuuri sat on the opposite end. 

“Yuuri,” Victor called out softly, “Why are you being so cold? Whatever I’m forgetting, I’m sorry.”

“No,” Yuuri muttered, but still loud enough to be heard, “Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault. It’s just- I worry about you, you know? Go to sleep, Victor. You need it.”

“But-” Victor was about to argue that he didn’t need sleep, just needed to rest his tired feet for a bit, but Yuuri interrupted. 

“You won’t be any use if you’re dead on your feet. Don’t worry, ok? I’ll keep watch if that makes you feel better.”

“You need to sleep too, Yuuri.” 

Yuuri shook his head, “No, I don’t. Please Victor, take care of yourself. You’re really worrying me.”

Victor was about to convince Yuuri otherwise, but a yawn overtook him and he realized just how tired he felt, how his eyelids felt heavy and were beginning to droop. 

Before he knew it, Victor was asleep.

*’**”***”**’*

Victor’s growling stomach awoke him. He yawned and stretched and looked around. Everything seemed to be the same as when he fell asleep, but Victor had the nagging feeling that something was missing. 

Then, like a bolt of lightning, Victor was struck with the knowledge of reality, as he realized what he had forgotten. 

 

“FUCK!” 

Victor’s shout startled Makkachin awake, who looked at Victor with curiosity. 

“You knew, didn’t you?” Victor spat at the poodle. “You knew he wasn’t there- and- he was trying to  _ tell  _ me that-” His voice sputtered out as Victor began to hyperventilate, overwhelmed by his emotions and realization of what he had done.

“I- what the-? No, I didn’t, I didn’t forget about Yuuri. I’m going to save him. He’s fine, I just need to find him, I just-” Victor broke into tears, trying to sob quietly. He hugged Makkachin tight, burying his face in fur, trying to muffles his screams of frustration. 

He can’t go crazy. Victor couldn’t be insane. He had to save Yuuri. Then he could fall apart. Not yet. 

Not yet. 

* * *

 

_ What’s that? What’s wrong with it’s legs? Why is it so orange? What’s that glowy thing? Look- _

_ One cup granulated sugar, one teaspoon of vanilla, one can prepared coconut pecan frosting-  _

_ RRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh _

 

This was quite unnecessary. Four of the annoying things were installed. Once the scientists installed the silent one, in that moment of distraction, they went ahead and set up this infernal combination.  

The status quo has now just established itself, and it’s a lot less great than initially thought. The need to test still ran deep, consuming most thought. Everything was just more… slow. 

Slow, that was the word. 

The test subject was slow. Progress was slow. The facility was slow to follow orders, and the cores… they were slow in a different meaning of the word. 

They were stupid. That’s the meaning being referred to here. 

_ Who are you? Who are they? Where am I? What’s that thing? What’s this other thing? I wonder- _

And the test subject was done with the thirteenth chamber. Finally. 

It was a stubborn thing, persistent. Good for testing. Not that it matters much. 

“When the testing is over, you will be… missed.” 

The sound of the voice caused the subject to flinch, but it gave no other reaction. It was frustrating that way. It refused to speak. Silent. Judging. Annoying. 

It would be missed. That wasn’t a lie. Only six more chambers until the end. The initial calculations had predicted that the test subject wouldn’t make it until the end, but those have since been rectified. 

It would be a shame if it died before the end. There was a plan after all. 

_ Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh _

 

_ Fish shaped crackers, animal crackers, cracker jacks, pepper jack cheese, nine large egg yolks-  _

Nothing was going to change the plan. Not the cores’ incessant whining or lack thereof, not anyone. 

“All subjects intending to handle high-energy gamma leaking portal technology must be informed that they  _ may  _ be informed of applicable regulatory compliance issues.” 

All lot of the things to be said were old requirements that no one bothered to get rid of. And most of it was technically true, so there was little issue there. 

“No further compliance information is required or will be provided, and you are an excellent test subject!”

Now the word excellent was comparative. The test subject themselves was not excellent. They were disgusting, slow, and annoyingly inconsiderate. But compared to previous test subjects, they were far more obedient and productive. No whining, no giving up, and not dying right away. 

The were only excellent in that line of thinking. It still took breaks far too often and slept for way too long. 

 

The silent one was still the most irritating. And it still had that smile. Aggravating. It was having an effect, that was an unfortunate truth. All the cores did. 

For example, there was a cake baking in one of the back rooms, simply to pacify the one rattling off nonsensical ingredients. 

_ One tablespoon all-purpose rhubarb, three tablespoons rhubarb, on ice, one large rhubarb- _

**One doesn’t even need that much rhubarb you nimrod!**

Thankfully, the test subject was now finished with the chamber. 

“A complimentary victory lift has been activated in the main chamber.” 

It continued onwards, that same expression on its face. Determination wasn’t the right word, that would imply some form of positive motivation. Resignation? No, it hasn’t given up yet. 

Thinking. That was it. The test subject was thinking. Constantly, the gears turning, trying to figure it all out. What an intriguing expression. 

“The Enrichment Center is committed to the well being of all participants. Cake and grief counseling will be available at the conclusion of the test. Thank you for helping us help you help us all.”

That technically wasn’t true. While grief counseling could be provided, the usual Testing Grief Counselor was no longer available. Then again, the grief counseling is only an available option. The test subject wouldn’t be choosing options at the end of the test, anyway. 

_ What are they doing? Oh! Look at that silver- it’s gone now. Why did it go away? _

Silver? Did that have to do with the security camera that was just destroyed? According to the footage, yes, yes it did have something to do with it. 

It turns out there’s a rat scurrying around still. 

_ Mmmmmmmmmrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh _

What is that doing here? The neurotoxin should have gotten them all. Stragglers and vermin would not be tolerated. However, the rat is hiding out in blind spots. 

Then again, there’s not point. It can’t do anything. 

 

And neither can the test subject, apparently. Even by its slow standards, it’s taking a ridiculous amount of time on this chamber. 

It better not be running low on nutrition again. Starvation is boring to watch. There is enough footage of other subjects starving. And providing for it muddies the test results. And that’s just bad science. 

“Did you know you can donate one or all of your vital organs to the Aperture Science self esteem fund for girls? It's true!”

Another required line. Another technical truth. And still no significant response from the subject. The files indicate it is capable of speech, but those can be riddled with inaccuracies due to sloppy science. Or scientists who lie. Aperture had far too many of those.

_ Three and a half cups of brown sugar, one cup of molasses, twelve scoops of peanut butter-  _

The next chamber should be fun though. New factors and dangers are a definite improvement. The calculations are set for how the test subject should react to it, but seeing the results in action is always satisfying. There is just something wonderful and gratifying about being right. 

“Due to mandatory scheduled maintenance, the appropriate chamber for this testing sequence is currently unavailable. It has been replaced with a live-fire course designed for military androids. The Enrichment Center apologizes for the inconvenience and wishes you the best of luck.”

That was an utter lie. The maintenance was ages ago, and this exactly the appropriate chamber. And the turrets weren’t even military androids. They were exclusively for testing and testing enforcement purposes only. 

Their design was a result of extremely faulty logic and brown-nosing engineers who didn’t question it. More bullet per bullet. Except bullets don’t work that way. The result is closer to a high-pressure air rifle. 

As for wishing the test subject luck, well, luck is very technically speaking, a neutral term. It is usual preceded by ‘good’ or ‘bad’ to specify what kind of luck it is and who it would be good for. 

_ Oh, what’s that? It’s so fluffy! Why are they running? Look at that thing! And that other thing- _

Not the rat again. It better not cause any problems, since all available resources are being devoted to this test. 

The test subject is performing adequately. Less than adequate. The numbers say it’s most likely suffering from fatigue. That is the test subject’s own problem. 

 

Wait. Where did it go? 

Oh, the little side chamber. There’s nothing there. 

Right?

What if the rat….

No. That is a thought that other core would have. Everything is under control. 

Perfectly under control. As it should be. 

_ Five cartons of milk -rrrrrrraaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-why are all the lights blinking? _

****QUIET!** **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are finally at the end of the middle! Now onwards, to the beginning of the end! (Of Portal 1)


	13. Cake-Induced Chaos

Otabek was tired. In every sense of the word. Not that it was going to stop him, of course. He was still going to keep going and reach the end, one can be endlessly determined while also feeling nearly negative emotion known to man. 

That’s why Otabek was grateful for the little hole in the wall he was currently hiding. It felt like a breath of fresh air, albeit without fresh air. They probably recycle the air around to prevent suffocation. If Otabek was any bit claustrophobic, this fact might of freaked him out. 

But there was factor in this room that did freak him out a little bit. Just lying there was an open can of beans. Otabek tried to suppress his natural instinct, but his growling stomach had other ideas. 

Otabek tried to be slow eating the beans, trying to pace himself, barely staving off the temptation to chug it. In the meantime, he began to take in his surroundings. Paint splattered the walls, looking fairly fresh. There was a picture of a sleeping black-haired man that Otabek didn’t recognize, a poster with a picture of some cake with scribblings alongside it, but what caught his attention the most was a clear message:  _ Help is here, just wait. - VN & YK  _

Given the current circumstances, Otabek did not feel particularly optimistic. And he had always been uncomfortable with the idea of depending on other people. Besides, these two people, they might be dead, or the message could be fake. Reading the initials again, Otabek tried to think of anyone he knew at Aperture that shared them. He couldn’t think of anything. Despite his logic telling him otherwise, Otabek felt a small sense of relief that there might be others here too, alive and suffering as well. 

“Hiding is only a pointless stalemate. I believe you are intelligent enough to understand that.” 

Otabek bristled at the voice complaining. When he stripped away the pretext and the multisyllabic words, all could hear was:  _ ‘Hurry up. I’m bored!’  _ Though that might have been Otabek’s exhausted brain trying to read too much into it, looking for clues that weren’t there. As much as Otabek hated to admit it, the voice was right. 

This room was different, though. There were little robots here, with tinny high voices and full of bullets. Otabek had to be more careful than ever. He was pretty sure that even if they didn’t kill him, it would severely hinder his progress, and possibly be detrimental.  

_ No time like the present,  _ he mused, slowly leaving the small hidden space. 

 

“Well done, android. The Enrichment Center once again reminds you that android hell is a real place where you will be sent at the first sign of defiance.”

_ Charming.  _

In his given circumstances, Otabek didn’t have much room for open defiance. That didn’t take away his urge for rebellion. So he did the healthy thing and destroyed every camera he could find along the way. 

Next should be Chamber 17, meaning he had three chambers left. Otabek found himself growing apprehensive thinking about what would happen when he reached the end. He didn’t think he’d just stroll out and go back home. 

“The Vital Apparatus Vent will deliver a Weighted Companion Cube in Three. Two. One.”

A cube dropped from a shaft above. It was different from the other cubes, it had pink hearts on it. Otabek briefly wondered if this was a joke. A Companion Cube? Like an inanimate object would be a reasonable substitute for human interaction. 

“This Weighted Companion Cube will accompany you through the test chamber. Please take care of it.” 

Using his powers of deduction, Otabek figured that some part at the end of the chamber would require the cube. It had to be necessary at some point.

Some point turned out to be right now, since the stairs leading onwards were too tall for him to reach, so he used the cube as a stepping stool. 

Once he reached the top, Otabek peered around the corner, only to whip his head back around as an energy pellet, or whatever they were called, went by. Judging by the faint burning smell, Otabek figured that a few hairs got signed. 

Looking back again, it appeared to be a long hallway without anywhere to hide. Otabek wondered if the cube would be able to block the pellet. He decided to test this theory by placing the cube in the hallway, and waited. It turned out to be correct, much to Otabek’s relief. 

About halfway through the hall, the voice decided to pipe up again. 

“The symptoms most commonly produced by Enrichment Center testing are superstition, perceiving inanimate objects as alive, and hallucinations. The Enrichment Center reminds you that the Weighted Companion Cube will never threaten to stab you and, in fact, cannot speak.” 

_ Someone’s chatty,  _ was Otabek’s first thought. But what the voice was saying struck Otabek as insanely weird, even for this place. Why would he assume the cube would threaten to stab him? Or speak for that matter? Something seemed incredibly fishy, but there was the basic fact that cubes cannot speak. 

Why would they bother to remind him of that fact? He wasn’t going crazy, so they didn’t need to worry about that. 

Otabek put all speculation aside and continued on. 

 

“The Enrichment Center reminds you that the Weighted Companion Cube cannot speak. In the event that the weighted companion cube does speak, the Enrichment Center urges you to disregard its advice.”

At this point, Otabek was beginning to wonder if the opposite was true. But there was still the fact that cubes can’t speak. He eyed Cube carefully, it was still still and definitely did not speak. 

Even if it could speak, what would it say? The voice told Otabek to ignore it, which could mean anything. Even as a silent inanimate object, Cube was being very useful right now. Otabek imagined that if Cube could speak, it would tell him to get moving. His body wasn’t going to last forever, not under these conditions. 

 

_ There, finished,  _ Otabek thought, giving a small sigh of relief. He placed Cube on the button that should open the door and…

“You did it! The Weighted Companion Cube certainly brought you good luck. However, it cannot accompany you for the rest of the test and, unfortunately, must be euthanized. Please escort your Companion Cube to the Aperture Science Emergency Intelligence Incinerator.”

Oh that was not fair. Otabek was perfectly ready to abandon Cube at the end of the test, he expected it, but this was over the top. He had to incinerate it. 

Well, if he had to do it, he had to do it. 

Otabek walked over, pressed the red button, opening up the incinerator. He walked over, picked up Cube, and tossed it in, seemingly without a shred of hesitation. The heat blasted in his face, making him sweat a little. 

“You euthanized your faithful Companion Cube more quickly than any test subject on record. Congratulations.”

Otabek would take Cube’s companionship over this voice. Cube didn’t talk, was useful, and wasn’t trying to kill him. Also, the voice made him destroy Cube after giving it to him. Otabek wasn’t upset, he definitely wasn’t upset. Or disappointed. After all, Cu- the cube was just an object. He had it for less than an hour. 

Otabek reaffirmed his resolution. Once he finished these tests, he was going to find this voice, be a person, machine, whatever, and he was going to kick its ass. 

 

“The experiment is nearing its conclusion. Conclusion is a word that here means The End. I wouldn’t explain these basic definitions if you showed any sign of understanding. The Enrichment Center is required to remind you that you will be baked, and then there will be cake.”

_ You will be baked?  _ If Otabek was in anyway an optimist or an idiot, he would assume that was just some terrible grammar, or a mistake. But Otabek was pretty sure he was not an idiot, despite what the voice thought of him. 

Otabek wished he had a plan. He liked plans. His current plan was: 

 

__ 1\. Finish tests. 2. ??? 3. Get out of here 4. Profit _ _

 

Which was not a proper plan. 

This was shaping up to be the worst Thursday ever. Wait… was it even a Thursday? Shaking off that useless thought, Otabek got to the work of not dying. 

 

Another nook. There had been one in the previous chamber, but Otabek hadn’t bothered to look.  

There wasn’t much here, just a few signs that someone had been here recently, a smashed camera, flecks of paint that were still wet, and loose hairs on the floor. 

Playing detective, Otabek found that there were two types of hair. Long silver ones, and shorter curly brown ones. Maybe there were two people hiding out here after all. He tried to remember the initials on the wall. YK and V… V… V-something. 

For a moment Otabek felt furious at these two mystery people. They didn’t have to go through this hellish testing, and they were better fed than he was, guessing by the food they left behind. They were just hiding and doing nothing to help. 

“What are you doing hiding like a scared little rat?” The voice called out in irritation, “I already have a rat sneaking around, I don’t need two.” 

_ Only one rat…?  _ Otabek was pretty sure that there were two people going around. Did the voice not know about the second person? That could be an advantage.

No. Otabek quickly quashed that hope. No good could come out of depending on others in a situation like this. Relying on his own wits was a much saner course of action. 

 

“Well done! Be advised that the next test requires exposure to uninsulated electrical parts that are dangerous. For more information, please attend an Enrichment Center Electrical Safety seminar. However the seminar is understaffed at the moment, so after the testing you will be compensated.” 

Otabek ignored the voice. He was almost done. He was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion. 

Last chamber

Last chamber… 

“Welcome to the final test! When you are done, you will drop the Device in the equipment recovery annex. Enrichment Center regulations require both hands to be empty before any cake-” The voice descended into a garbled mess. 

There wasn’t any cake. They were going to kill him. Otabek was sure of that at this point. There was no way he was going to let the portal gun go. It might be his only chance for survival. This wasn’t paranoia, Otabek told himself. 

 

This was too easy. This part was way too easy. Otabek was extremely uneasy. Uneasy wasn’t a strong enough word. Terrified? So anxious that he was about to combust? Not ready to die? 

“Congratulations! The test is now over. All Aperture technologies remain safely operational up to 4000 degrees Kelvin. Rest assured that there is absolutely no chance of a dangerous equipment malfunction prior to your victory candescence. Thank you for participating in this Aperture Science computer-aided enrichment activity. Goodbye."

_ Shit. Fuck, fuck fuck, fuck!  _

Otabek panicked, looking for a way out, anyway out. He still had the portal gun, he could do this. Just need to find a way… There was nothing but surfaces he couldn’t put portals on, as he inched closer to the flames. He wasn’t going to go out like every other test subject. There had to be… 

There! He shot a portal up, just above the railing, and shot another one to his right and hopped in. Before he could take a breath or pat himself on the back, Otabek realized he had to run. Now. 

He didn’t know what luck lead to this opportunity, but he wasn’t going to waste time thinking about it. 

“What are you doing? Stop it! I... I... We are pleased that you made it through the final challenge where we pretended we were going to murder you. We are very, very happy for your success. We are throwing a party in honor of your tremendous success. Place the device on the ground, then lie on your stomach with your arms at your sides. A party associate will arrive shortly to collect you for your party. Make no further attempt to leave the testing area. Assume the party escort submission position or you will miss the party."

Otabek ignored the bullshit and continued with his escape. 

* * *

 

**WHAT THE FUCK?!?! WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!**

_ Why’s everything flashing? Where is he going? Where did the fluffy one go? _

**SHUT UP, SHUT UP! STOP ASKING QUESTIONS!**

This was not a great situation. The test subject escaped, because they had the portal gun, and it wasn’t taken away from them because there was a distraction from the rat. 

Things were getting boring previously. Now they were far too exciting. The cores were not contributing at all, instead being obstacles and distractions. 

**[Alert: Test Subject has left the testing area]**

**I know that. Quiet.**

**Let’s see. The rat seems distracted by something, that’ll give me some time to-**

**Wait. Where’s the mutt?**

 

 

**And why is there a car by the dump??!!**

 

 

 

 

 

*ding!*

**And the cake’s done.**


	14. Conflict Eminent

“Do you even know what we’re looking for?” Emil asked.    

“No. But- HA!” Isabella cried out with triumph as she picked the lock open. “I think it’ll be obvious when we find it, right?”    

“I suppose,” Emil conceded, “but I find it weird that somewhere as high-tech as Aperture would have a place with a lock that can be opened with just a hairpin.”    

Isabella shrugged, “They can be lazy, I suppose.”    

“Still, makes me really nervous.” Emil muttered.    

“Everything about this is nerve-wracking. Which is why we charge forward, swallowing down our fear!”    

“Isabella, I’m pretty sure there’s a difference between bravery and stupidity. Don’t mistake one for the other. Otherwise we’ll really be in trouble.”    

She gave a small snort of laughter, “I’m pretty sure we’re already in trouble. After you, madam.”    

“Ha ha, very funny.” Emil retorted, but took the lead anyway.    

Desolate. That best word Emil had for the place. No one had been here for a very long time, and it showed. Piles and heaps of metal and junk and other things littered the area, seemingly endless. The wind blew through the gaps and holes creating a strange, eerie sound. Eerie. That was another good word. The place seemed to be rotting and decaying before the pair’s very eyes, even though a lot of the materials were incapable of rotting. There was the feeling of being watched, yet the area was completely still, it didn’t even have bugs and rats and other animals that would usually be in a dump.    

“Emil, do you have a camera?” Isabella asked, walking slowly, taking in every detail that she possibly could.    

Emil huffed, “Of course I do,” he pulled out his phone and held it in front of him, looking for something interesting to take a photo of. “That’s weird.”    

“What’s weird?” Isabella asked, bending down to pick up something that caught her eye.    

“I can’t get a signal here. Like at all.” Emil answered. They weren’t that far from civilization, and he thought a place like Aperture would provide service.    

Isabella gave an agreeing ‘hmm’, standing up and catching up to Emil.    

“Find anything?” Emil asked, and Isabella showed him what she found.    

“I thought it would be useful. But it’s super weird. Who would throw out a perfectly good crowbar?” In response, Emil shrugged.    

They trudged on, stopping occasionally to sift through piles but not finding anything useful or informative. At least, as far as they could tell.    

After some amount of time, Emil piped up. “Do you hear that?”    

“Hear wha- wait, are you talking about that scuffling, scuttling noise?” Isabella said. At about the same moment the pair dashed off to hide behind a pile of trash. … in different directions. Their hearts were pounding, Isabella keeping a tight grip on the crowbar, Emil holding his phone, and looking for anything that could be used as a weapon.    

Perhaps they were being a bit trigger-happy for a pair of reporters, but they had no doubt that this place was dangerous. And they were going to beat Aperture black and blue for the answers they were seeking.    

Slowly, Emil peeked from his hiding place, hoping there was nothing there worth hiding from.    

He was wrong. There were several things to hide from. At first glance, Emil couldn’t tell what they were. Then as they got closer, he was able to ascertain more details. There were three of them, humanoid in shape and greenish in color. What were they…? The way they moved seemed awkward, clumsy, unstable.    

Closer and closer they came, and the pair could see them clearly. The sight was horrifying. It was as if a man was injected with evil science juice, and that science juice was a parasite, like a chestburster alien, except an alien, it was… it took Emil a second to remember what it was called… a praying mantis. That was it. Like a praying mantis had burst out of these mens’ (or they could have been women, it was impossible to tell) appendages. Absolute abominations, horrifying monsters, walking travesties against all that was holy.    

Before Emil could think, he brought his phone out again, taking pictures, probably to prove to himself that this was real. This was horrifying, Aperture did this to people, and left them to rot. Emil had no idea how they had survived this long. He was about to take another picture when he spotted something from the corner of his vision.    

Isabella dashed towards the trio of mantis-men, brandishing her crowbar and whacking them as hard as she could. It was a glorious sight to behold, which Emil knew his photos wouldn’t be able to fully capture. She was relentless, beating them even when they were down, causing her to become to be splattered in blood and guts. Objectively speaking, it was sexy in that badass sort of way.      

When she was finished, Isabella trudged on over to Emil’s hiding spot, spotting him holding his phone above the pile of scrap metal. She waved, smiling, full of adrenaline, and feeling a lot better after blowing off some steam.

Emil spotted it, but wasn’t able to react fast enough. The mantis-men were not completely incapacitated by Isabella’s attack. The one that recovered the faster came behind Isabella, raised its arm, and smacked her away, flinging her a few feet away. More importantly, she dropped the crowbar.

Two of the mantis-men went towards Emil, while the third one shuffled over towards Isabella. Emil scanned the area, looking for something, he wasn’t sure what, and he even briefly considered running away. But he knew he couldn’t do that.

He dashed, made a mad sprint for the crowbar, and when he got close, he dove for it, sliding against the ground roughly. Scrambling to his feet, Emil swung wildly, trying to keep the beasts at bay. He put all his frustration into his swings, enjoying the sounds of impact much more than he probably should. The mantis-men were slow, which gave Emil a great advantage, and before too long, he had them on the ground. But Emil was done with them yet, he kept smacking them with the crowbar until he was more than certain that they would not be moving again.

Looking up, Emil saw that Isabella had hers under control. He walked over to her, and Isabella didn’t notice him at first, since she was preoccupied with stabbing the mantis-man over and over and over again. “I think it’s dead already.” Emil said softly, so not to startle her.

Isabella rolled her eyes, “I am aware of that. It’s just that-” She paused for a moment to crush it’s head underfoot, “it feels pretty good. You got the other ones?”

“Yeah, and is your hand okay?” Emil asked, noticing that it was bleeding heavily. Isabella looked down and seemed to notice it for the first time.

“Oh, the hunk of metal I grabbed must have cut me a little, it’s fine.” Isabella replied, tossing the sharp metal object aside.

“I don’t know,” Emil replied, “It looks pretty deep. Do you want the crowbar back?”

Isabella rebuked his concern by saying, “It doesn’t hurt that much, and yes, I would like it back, please.”

Emil tossed it to her, and rushed back to grab his phone. The screen had cracked a little when he dropped it, but it still worked.

The pair continued walking, feeling filthy now that the heat of the moment had come and gone.

“We smell like death.” Isabella said in a tone that could have been interpreted as joking or serious.

“This place feels like death.” Emil retorted.

“You could say that again,” Isabella agreed. “And to think, this is only the trash, the things Aperture discarded. I’d hate to imagine what monstrosities they have inside.” 

“I don’t think we want to go down that rabbit hole of terrible scenarios. The facilities are huge, I’m sure that there are plenty of places to hide, even if the situation there is that horrible.”

“An optimistic outlook is nice to have-” Isabella began to say, but suddenly stopped when a strange smell entered her nostrils. She sniffed the air, and recoiled from how unpleasant it was.

Emil expressed a similar sentiment, “Oh god, what is that smell?” Neither were quite sure where it was coming from, but they had an idea of a general direction.

Following their investigative senses, they followed the smell, trying to breathe out of their mouths as much as possible.

“It’s gotta be here.” Isabella pointed to a nearby trash pile. Coming closer, they could see a small detail that confirmed their worst suspicions.

They began to shift the rubble out of the way, Emil muttering “no, no, no…” and Isabella muttering the same thing mentally.

It took less time than either of them would have liked. It was an awful sight, something that most people would never see. None of them were experts, so they didn’t how long it was there, but they were more upset by the fact that it was there to begin with.

Trying to look anywhere else, Emil spotted some papers nearby, probably tossed out along with it. They were ripped in places, but he could read the title clear as day: Project GLaDOS.

With a shaking hand, Isabella reached towards their unfortunate discovery, moving the lapel aside to read the nametag.

_G. Popovich_   

* * *

 

_A bit before cake_   

Victor was running, Makkachin following diligently. The test subject was almost at the end, Victor had to do something and fast.    

He had to do something to hurt GLaDOS. Either it would distract it from killing the test subject right away, or it would be too distracted killing the test subject to notice Victor right away. Honestly, he didn’t care which way it ended up.    

_Thump thump thump_ , the rings thumped against his chest, Victor becoming so used to the sensation that he ignored it for the most part. The pair’s footsteps clanged against the metal catwalk, Victor quickly reading the labels on the doors they passed and dismissing them right away.    

Then Victor spotted what he was looking for: Temperature and Airflow Maintenance. It was an important room when it came to regulating the facility and keeping it functional, but everything inside should be easy enough to break. There was just one small issue.    

It was guarded. Lightly guarded, but guarded all the same. A half-dozen turrets were placed along the other side of the catwalk, single eyes searching for anything that moved, tiny voices filling the area.    

With a lot of caution and a little bit of luck, Victor was sure he could get past them, but for Makkachin, he wasn’t so sure. He looked towards his companion, who had been so good and quiet this whole journey. Makkachin then perked up, sniffing the air.    

“You smell something?” Victor asked. As if to answer, Makkachin barked multiple times and dashed off, following the scent. “Wait!” Victor cried out, but Makkachin ignored him.    

Now Victor was left with a choice, he could do what he originally planned to do, or follow Makkachin and see what caught the dog’s attention.    

“I think you should follow Makkachin.” Yuuri piped up.    

“But what if it’s nothing? Or worse, a trap?” Victor rebuffed, irate at his hallucination’s presence.    

“Then shouldn’t you make sure that Makkachin is safe? I know you’re thinking what I’m thinking. I’m thinking that Makka smelled the only other person in this facility.” Yuuri continued.    

“But what if there’s a wall between them and there’s no way to get to him? That would be a waste of time. I’m sticking to the original plan. If I can knock out part of the A/C, GLaDOS could be at risk of overheating.” Victor was spitefully being contrary, but deep down was a bit grateful for Yuuri, to properly think about his options.

“And you could also give yourself and the test subject heat stroke.” Yuuri countered, then fell silent for a moment, “... You’re going to do it anyway, aren’t you? I’m just worried you’ll get hurt. You wouldn’t be able to help anyone then.”

“Shut up!” Victor yelled, “I’m wasting my time talking to you, when I could be getting one step closer to the real Yuuri! I’m not listening to you!”

“Victor… just be careful…”

“Screw caution! This is it! This is our- my chance. You should understand that, right?” Victor was drained, he didn’t want to fight with the only ‘person’ he had left.

“I do.” Yuuri smiled, trying to hide his tears and worries.

“Alright then.”

Victor began to prepare himself, trying to decide the best path, avoiding as many turrets as possible. He stretched, preparing to make a mad dash, not stopping under circumstance.

He ran, he ran darting from side to side, trying to keep his eyes on both his target and the robots targeting him. He was almost there, he could just see it, when a turret that he could barely see, tucked in the corner got him.

While a turret is far less dangerous than most types of guns, getting shot in the leg by multiple bullets is not good for anyone. And judging by the dripping feeling, Victor figured that several of them must of broken the skin. He fell to the ground, thankfully out of the line of fire.

Not waiting to evaluate the damage, Victor crawled, pulling himself up on the doorknob, nearly falling into the room when he opened the door. Half-hobbling, half-hopping, Victor found the control pad, and more importantly, a place to sit. Even better, it was one of those rolling chairs.

Flopping onto the chair with very little grace or dignity, Victor continued to ignore the pain in his leg and got to work on the control panel. Thankfully, maintenance was conducted by low-ranked busybodies, so there wasn’t any security clearance to get past.  

There was a small issue, though. Everything was abbreviated, to take up as little space as possible, which left Victor guessing and turning knobs and pushing buttons semi-randomly. What he was really hoping to specifically accomplish was raise the temperature of GLaDOS’ main server room, causing overheat, and potentially kill or crash the system. The likelihood of this working was low, since GLaDOS had control of everything, and could easily fix the problem as soon as it was noticed. And GLaDOS knows everything in Aperture. GLaDOS was not perfect, which is why Victor was able to get away with this, but pretty damn close, which was far too close for comfort.

After Victor was satisfied with his efforts, he sat and thought for a moment. Holing up in here wouldn’t do any good, but chasing after GLaDOS wasn’t appealing either. He could chase after Makkachin, or try to check up on the test subject, but those could eat up precious time and were potentially dangerous.

Then Victor wondered why he was being so cautious now. Then the pain in his leg reminded him why. He couldn’t really run in this state. Gingerly pulling up his pant leg, Victor braced himself for the sight he was about to behold. All things considered, it wasn’t too bad. Only two of three broke the skin, it was hard to tell with his leg being a mess of blood and bruises. The bruises were just starting to appear, and it was an impressive sight, if one isn’t immediately repulsed by that sort of thing. Walking wasn’t going to be too much of a problem, but slow going, which is a problem, since time is of the essence.

Victor pulled himself up and began to shuffle quickly towards the exit, his destination unclear. Yuuri. He was here for Yuuri.

He had to find Yuuri.

Anything else was irrelevant, or was simply another step closer to Yuuri.

Yuuri was alive. Yuuri was here.

And Victor was going to find him.

And nothing was going to stop him from doing so.

Nothing.

Victor knew it, he knew it in every fiber of his being, from the recycled air he breathed, to the blood dripping down his leg, to his aching heart, a tired heart, but it kept on, not missing a beat.


End file.
